Inside AI’s role in today’s broiler supply chain
Source: sittisak monrittanupap | istock
Inside AI’s role in today’s broiler supply chain
What’s here and what’s next for artificial intelligence’s role in transforming the chicken supply chain.
Artificial intelligence (AI), the good AI, isn’t coming to the poultry supply chain; it’s already here and being employed in all phases of production. Each step in the supply chain, all the way from breeders to the processing plant, is benefiting from applications of AI.
At the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit, scheduled for July 27-29 at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, join us for a panel discussion on how artificial intelligence applications are helping to drive continuous improvement in efficiency, bird welfare and food safety today, and what might be coming in the future.
The panelists include Walker Byrnes, research engineer, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Joshua Gillespie, vice president of sales, Baader Food Systems and Kevin Ryan, founder/CEO, Malachite Strategy and Research.
Byrnes leads the Machine Learning and Data Analytics Branch within the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s (GTRI) Intelligent Sustainable Technologies Division, his team’s research focuses on machine intelligence, AI-powered data analytics and embodied AI for robotics. Walker holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is currently pursuing a PhD in computer science at Georgia Tech with a focus on reinforcement learning and robot intelligence.
Gillespie entered the poultry industry in 2000 when he joined BAADER as a research and development technician. He has accumulated extensive knowledge of poultry processing and sales from his positions as product manager, service manager and corporate account manager. Gillespie now leads the company’s entire North American sales force. He earned a bachelor’s degree in automotive technology from Pittsburg State University.
Ryan is founder/CEO of Malachite Strategy and Research, a CPG, retail and foodservice-focused insights and innovation agency. Kevin previously served as the global strategic senior planner at Amazon, overseeing the team responsible for corporate brand and advertising strategies for Global Prime and Non-Prime consumers. Prior to Amazon, Kevin was director of strategy and innovation at General Mills. For 15 years, Kevin led corporate and brand initiatives to discover new opportunities globally. Kevin holds both a master’s and PhD in food science and a MSc in food anthropology. Kevin writes a food industry newsletter (FoodStuff) and also hosts a food industry podcast called 3 Squares.