From Strategy to Shelf: AI in the Consumer Goods Sector
Where AI Works: Conversations at the Intersection of AI and IndustryShow Notes
It’s one of the world’s most iconic consumer goods companies, founded when America was still in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. Now, more than a century later, it’s on the frontlines of another massive transformation in the way we work thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence.
On this episode of Where AI Works, host Christian Terwiesch is joined by Alfredo Colas, the Chief Data and AI Officer at Procter & Gamble, to explore how the 188 year old company is reinventing itself yet again. With nearly three decades at P&G, Alfredo shares his unique perspective on embedding AI into innovation, from product ideation to smarter supply chains, while keeping humans firmly in the loop. You’ll hear how the company leverages AI to supercharge creativity — turning individual ideas into high-performing concepts — and how AI helps democratize knowledge, making decades of consumer insights instantly accessible to employees across the company. Their conversation also highlights the importance of human judgment in final decision-making, the evolving nature of work, and how AI can eliminate routine tasks to let employees focus on higher-value, creative problem solving.
Episode Highlights:
6:13 - Alfredo shares how AI is being used to enhance rather than replace P&G’s “secret formula” for gaining consumer insights about its products.
10:20 - Alfredo explains how P&G is leveraging AI to boost personal employee productivity, improve quality, and democratize knowledge.
18:23 - Alfredo discusses which aspects of work he foresees changing the most as a result of AI implementation.
More from Where AI Works: Conversations at the Intersection of AI and Industry
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It’s a question that looms large for any business leader these days, but the stakes are even higher for those that manage massive workforces: as AI transforms the workplace, what happens to jobs and the people doing them? On this episode of Where AI Works, host Matthew Bidwell speaks with Donna Morris, the Chief People Officer at Walmart, about what it means to introduce AI across one of the largest workforces on the planet; more than 2.1 million associates around the world. Morris explains the company’s “people-led, tech-powered” approach, where AI is used to augment employees rather than replace them. She also discusses the emergence of new roles like AI agent-builders , and explores the skills that matter most in an AI-driven workplace. While technical expertise is important, Morris argues that adaptability, communication, curiosity, and interpersonal skills will define the most successful employees in the years ahead. For leaders navigating this rapid change, the takeaway is simple: invest in people, build new skills, and be sure to bring your workers along for the ride.
The way we think about jobs is changing. As artificial intelligence reshapes how work gets done, traditional roles and titles are giving way to something more fluid: a skills-based economy. But while organizations are moving quickly to redefine what they need, workers and educators are still catching up, creating a growing gap between the skills people claim to have and the capabilities employers truly value.