NextGen Food Robotics Corp. announced that it has commenced development of an AI-powered mobile application (the App) to support its ghost kitchen and food manufacturing divisions. The App, which will be offered under the name "Lilly", is being designed to provide consumers with access to major food apps, such as Uber Eats, Door Dash, Skip the Dishes and Yelp, in one centralized location to streamline the food ordering experience.

Lilly's core feature will be an AI-powered natural language processing chat interface that will suggest food suggestions based on the user's preferences communicated by voice. The company also expects that data collected through Lilly from users, which will reflect trends and consumer preferences, will have a value of its own and could be employed by the company's food manufacturing clients to inform their product development choices. AI can be utilized in the food industry in a number of functions, including to scan products for defects and adjust product composition based on odors and flavours.

The App would expand the company's reliance on AI to also create efficiencies for food consumers. The company expects development of the first version of the App to be completed by July 1, 2023.