Kellanova's Chief Technology Officer,
Ramesh Kollepara, shares insights
into how the company is preparing and embracing the AI
revolution.
CHICAGO, June 4, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Earlier this year, I had the incredible opportunity
to participate in the world's largest technology conference, LEAP
2024, held in Saudi Arabia. My
inaugural attendance at this conference left me in awe as it
brought together the best technological minds worldwide and
provided a platform for exchanging ideas and forging connections,
further reinforcing my belief in technology's power to drive
positive change.
I participated on a panel with other CTOs on leading in the age
of innovation and AI, and I witnessed active collaboration in
action as I had the opportunity to interact with CEOs of leading
tech companies and learn from their expertise.
As we continue our digital journey at Kellanova, the insights
and inspiration gained from events like LEAP will fuel Kellanova's
pursuit to use technology as a catalyst for inclusion, innovation,
and business success. Here are the core strategies Kellanova is
prioritizing to "leap" into the new world where AI is enabling in
business:
- Equipping our workforce to thrive alongside AI.
Kellanova's philosophy focuses on building a learning culture which
is vital to stay competitive. Through our YODA (Year of Development
Always) education program, we're upskilling our IT colleagues for
the AI revolution via:
- Technical skills – Ensuring our teams are up to
date on new programming languages, data science that can better
inform predictions, and machine learning algorithms that will help
us build new AI models.
- Soft skills – AI can be complex, so we must
be able to communicate with both technical and non-technical
colleagues by improving our creative processes and emotional
intelligence, which helps IT better collaborate on AI projects
across the enterprise.
- Industry-specific skills – We must have domain
knowledge of our sector and know how our peers leverage AI, ethics,
governance, and bias awareness.
- Guardrails for AI. Based on what we have learned from
past AI pilots, we've built a framework to help guide us.
- Start with a business-backed problem – AI should
serve as a means to an end rather than the sole objective.
- Convert a business problem into a data problem –
We translate our business challenge into a clear brief that the
design and deployment team can understand and get excited
about.
- Governance – Our cross-functional advisory
council evaluates proposed use cases and develops risk appropriate
governance. We closely follow developing laws, regulations, and
frameworks about AI, plan and execute compliance activities aligned
with laws and regulations regarding data, privacy, and technology,
and ensure our partners throughout the value chain do the
same.
- Ensure the right talent mix – Not all
technologists, data scientists, etc. are the same. Different skill
sets are required to engineer inputs that can transform model
outputs into actionable insights.
- Establish the right tech stack – This is
essential for conducting data analysis effectively.
- Embrace data hygiene – Maintaining clean data and
a standardized taxonomy is critical for accurate and meaningful
data analysis.
- Embracing a test-and-learn culture. Only about 15% of AI
projects succeed initially, and that's ok. We can learn from
failures and AI can unlock growth opportunities with the right
approach.
- We've signaled this belief across our organization and recently
launched our "Kuriosity Clinics," giving our colleagues –
regardless of title, or function – the opportunity to be curious
and explore Gen AI with Microsoft Copilot for the web. We have had
an exceptional response – nearly 6,000 people have attended the
optional clinics, with lively interaction and many creative ideas.
You never know; our next new snack may be inspired by AI!
As a result of our AI pilots, we've unlocked growth by
optimizing supply chain efficiencies, optimized e-commerce search,
improved assortment and reduced out of stocks to increase sales,
and leveraged data to get closer to our consumers.
As we leap into the future, we continue to reimagine the way we
do every aspect of business with the help of AI, and we look
forward to bringing you along on our journey.
About Kellanova
Kellanova (NYSE: K) is a leader in
global snacking, international cereal and noodles, and North America frozen foods with a legacy
stretching back more than 100 years. Powered by differentiated
brands including Pringles®, Cheez-It®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg's Rice
Krispies Treats®, RXBAR®, Eggo®, MorningStar Farms®, Special K®,
Coco Pops®, and more, Kellanova's vision is to become the world's
best-performing snacks-led powerhouse, unleashing the full
potential of our differentiated brands and our passionate
people.
Kellanova is guided by our purpose to create better days and a
place at the table for everyone through our trusted food brands. We
are advancing sustainable and equitable access to food by
addressing the intersection of hunger, sustainability, wellbeing,
and equity, diversity & inclusion, with the ambition of
creating Better Days for 4 billion people by the end of 2030. Visit
www.Kellanova.com for more information
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SOURCE Kellanova