Blentech Joins UC Davis AIFS Symposium to Advance Responsible AI in Food Processing

Yesterday, Blentech CEO Dan Voit, Chief Engineer of Hardware and Process Development Jerry Xue, and Vice President of Software Development & Sales Keith Weerts joined industry and academic leaders at the AI for Food Product Development Symposium, hosted by UC Davis’ AI Institute for Food Systems (AIFS).

We’re proud to be part of an event that brought together researchers, technologists, and manufacturers to explore how human ingenuity and AI-enabled process learning can reshape formulation, process control, sensory development, and scale-up across the food value chain.

Contributing to the Conversation: AI for Process Optimization

Dan Voit spoke on the Panel on AI and Product Development, sharing Blentech’s perspective on how AI-driven process learning—through tools like ARTIS and AutoChef—is helping food processors capture expert knowledge, improve consistency, and accelerate commercialization timelines.

Reinforcing Our Commitment to Responsible AI

As part of the broader symposium dialogue, Blentech emphasized several guiding principles that shape our automation strategy:

• Built for Support, Not Displacement — AI should enhance the work of skilled operators, not replace them.
• Process IP Belongs to the Processor — Manufacturers must retain control over their proprietary knowledge.
• Humans Stay in the Loop — AI is powerful, but good judgment and craftsmanship remain essential. 

Why Events Like This Matter

From AI and Food Engineering to Food Informatics and Infrastructure, each session reinforced a clear message: progress happens when equipment manufacturers, data scientists, universities, and food processors learn together.

Innovation in this space won’t be defined by software alone—it will be driven by collaborative engineering, shared learning, and real-world process insight from the production floor.

Looking Ahead: Building AI That Learns With Our Customers

Blentech will continue investing in responsible, high-impact AI—not in isolation, but alongside the processors, operators, and engineering teams who use our equipment every day. Whether through partnerships like our ongoing AI development work with CedarTech, or through hands-on collaboration in ARTIS and AutoChef, we believe the future of smart processing will be co-created, not just deployed.

Together with our customers, we’re building equipment that learns—so every run makes the next one better.