Gama spoke to Prof. Keeley Crockett, Professor in Computational Intelligence at Manchester Metropolitan University.

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You’ve often said that AI is currently facing a ‘trust’ test similar to the one physical brands face. Why is that the starting point for this conversation?
It’s fundamental. The consumer has to trust your products, and it’s exactly the same with AI. When we look at the transition from Generative AI – where everyone started using Copilot and ChatGPT –into this new era of Agentic AI, where we give technology more autonomy, the bottom line is that people have to trust it. It is a bit like how we label our foods. We are moving into a ‘Responsible AI’ era where guidelines and legislation are essential. We need to ensure that the AI is usable, that the product is reliable and that it does what it says. Whether it’s marketing or product recommendations, it has to be safe and it has to be fair.
Despite the hype, many organisations aren’t seeing the productivity gains they expected. Where are businesses going wrong in their implementation?
It’s a common issue. Many organisations simply put Copilot on every employee’s desk top, but research from McKinsey found that eight out of ten people didn’t actually report any increased productivity or efficiency because they did not employ it in a smart way. If you want to see gains, you have to strategically embed AI into products and services to do what you want it to do as a business. In FMCG, that means using it for smarter product development – analysing consumer behaviour and market trends to accelerate innovation – or using predictive analytics to target promotions and enhance inventory management. It’s about moving beyond the ‘gimmick’ and using it to enhance brand loyalty.

