Raise Your Computer’s IQ
San Jose, Calif. — Facebook, Google and Microsoft are tapping the power of a vintage computer gaming chip to raise your smartphone’s IQ with artificially intelligent programs that recognize faces and voices, translate conversations on the fly and make searches faster and more accurate. It’s part of a trend toward the use of an artificial intelligence technique called “deep learning” that is creating a sense that a new era of smart...
Robot ‘Personal Assistants’ Could Become Your New Best Friend
You may not have unwrapped a robot on Christmas, but your new year will be filled with artificial intelligence. Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other technology companies, large and small, are making rapid advancements with virtual personal assistants that can solve problems and even complete tasks. “We’re going to start to see more personal assistants, and the ones that are already online will get more useful,” said Brian Blau, an...
Food Companies Scrambling to Satisfy ‘Clean Eating’
The steady, national swing toward “clean eating” has helped trigger an industry move toward clearing product labels of unpronounceable ingredients. So have the numerous class-action lawsuits chasing multimillion-dollar penalties for consumers who claim they were misled or misfed. Among the lawsuits filed this year alone are cases targeting trans fat in Heinz’s Ore-Ida Extra Crispy fries, complaining about a Kraft shredded cheese...
Cleaning Up Papa John’s Menu Costs Chain $100 Million a Year
Papa John’s International Inc. is spending $100 million a year to eliminate artificial ingredients and other additives from its menu, underscoring the cost of the restaurant industry’s shift to more natural foods. The company removed monosodium glutamate, or MSG, from its ranch dressing last year and pulled trans fats from its garlic sauce. Now Papa John’s has homed in on a list of 14 ingredients, including corn syrup, artificial...
Panera Is Latest to Cut Artificial Additives
When Panera Bread said last week that it would drop artificial additives from its menu, it joined a blitz of restaurants responding to customers’ desire for healthier food. Chipotle said recently that it would eliminate genetically modified ingredients, while McDonald’s pledged to use antibiotic-free chicken. Their efforts reflect a new industry reality: Instead of counting calories, today’s diners are often focused more on eating...
