New technologies are changing the way things are done, like the way we order food, have a coffee, or do our shopping. An increasing number of industries are working to improve user experience.

This is something that has taken on a special importance in the Nestlé culture. Over the past three years, the company has promoted its digital transformation with the creation of the Global IT Hub in Barcelona in 2016.

For this reason Nestlé, a Barcelona Tech City Global Partner, held an open event for the community at Pier01 in Barcelona to explain to the ecosystem the transformation process through Global IT Hub.

The conference was hosted by Global IT Hub speakers and professionals Laura Sánchez, Communications; Enrique Mora, Artificial Intelligence Solutions Architect; and Vikrant Bhan, global head of Nestlé’s Analytics Services Line.

“We are faced with a new reality, and this reality is influenced by the digital and technology sector. Customers are changing the way they think and behave. The food industry has changed, from what we order to the way that we eat it”, Laura explained.

Lately, Nestlé has been investing in the implementation of an advanced database and analytical solutions that are combined with the use of artificial intelligence.  One example of this is how Nestlé is working with machine learning and neurolinguistic programming for use in chatbots.

“Nestlé uses conversational assistants through chatbots, which are integrated in applications and capable of interacting with consumers in a natural way”, explained Enrique.

The company has decided to get into the business of personalized nutrition. The speakers explained how artificial intelligence, specifically natural language (NLP) models, make it possible for conversational assistants to understand consumers who express themselves in natural language (either by text or voice). This provides a new and much friendlier way of interacting. By adding context management techniques, it is possible for the conversational assistant to have a memory and be able to hold a much more human conversation.

In addition, Nestlé employs Deep Learning techniques to improve its recipe recommendation engines. More specifically, it uses the image of a recipe to calculate how similar it is to others. As such, we have achieved a new way of recommending recipes based on their appearance and not only the ingredients that they contain.

NESTLÉ GLOBAL IT HUB IN BARCELONA

 This hub was created in 2016 with the aim of promoting the digital transformation of the company. Its headquarters are currently located in Barcelona, but it provides services to all the Group’s markets around the world.

The Global IT Hub promotes agility, inclusion, cooperation, innovation, multiculturalism and new technologies.

The fact that events such as these take place at Pier01 gives Barcelona Tech City greater proximity and cooperation with the city’s startup ecosystem. This helps strengthen the alliance between the two entities in order to achieve innovative ways of understanding the needs of the end consumer.