Junichi Hasegawa has made a career of tackling tough problems, from connecting PlayStation 3 users for online play to researching self-driving cars. Now he wants to invent healthier food ingredients with the help of artificial intelligence.
The 61-year-old Hasegawa built up Japan¡¯s top AI startup, Preferred Networks (PFN), by striking deals and partnerships with the country¡¯s industrial giants, from Toyota Motor to Eneos Holdings. Now at century-old snack food maker Ezaki Glico, he¡¯s set his sights on adapting those skills to the notoriously cost-conscious food sector and revitalizing the Osaka-based maker of Pocky chocolate sticks.
Personally recruited by Etsuro Ezaki, the 49-year-old great-grandson of Glico¡¯s founder and recently appointed chief executive officer, Hasegawa¡¯s primary job is to help find the perfect blend of taste and nutrition through massive data harvesting and machine learning. He¡¯ll also be instrumental in linking up Glico¡¯s internal research with outside AI firms like PFN to accelerate the development of healthier foods.
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