For CIOs, generative AI is no longer just a laboratory experiment – it’s a creative force with direct commercial impact. But how do you transform abstract outputs into market-ready ideas that resonate with real customers?
Ben Hallinan, VP Commercial Digital Enablement at Kerry Group, believes the answer lies not in the broad strokes of AI strategy, but in precision: using GenAI tools to co-create tangible, commercially relevant product concepts in close collaboration with customers. At this year’s CIOmove, he’ll share real-world examples from Kerry’s ongoing work – and how digital hallucinations can be turned into concrete outcomes.
Accelerating Product Ideation Without Reinventing the Process
With 27 years of cross-industry digital experience – including more than 15 at Kerry – Ben’s work focuses on bridging IT capabilities with business outcomes. One of the core tools in Kerry’s innovation efforts is KerryKalaido, an AI-based concepting platform that brings together internal product data (on formulations, success rates, and sensory performance) with external consumer and trend signals.
This allows commercial teams to experiment more freely – and earlier in the development process. In a matter of hours, they can co-create visualized concepts tailored to specific consumer segments, complete with ingredient profiles, claims, and packaging suggestions. What once took days of cross-functional meetings can now start with a prompt.
Enhancing Collaboration, Not Replacing It
Rather than introducing a separate innovation track, Kerry is integrating AI tools into how teams already work. Sales can use KerryKalaido to prepare for customer meetings. Marketing provides context and validation. R&D explores how initial ideas might be translated into real products. The tool supports a more fluid, collaborative process – without removing the need for human judgment.
Importantly, the goal isn’t full automation. It’s to make early steps in the product development process more flexible, data-informed, and responsive to customer input.
From Digital Experiment to Commercial Outcome
Ben’s CIOmove session will focus on actual use cases, not future visions. He’ll share how teams are using AI in customer workshops, how concept ideas are shaped and refined, and where the boundaries of the technology still require human input. Rather than positioning AI as transformative by default, the emphasis will be on what it can – and maybe can’t – do effectively today.
