Coca-Cola backs MIT AI initiative to tackle global challenges

The Coca-Cola Company has joined the newly established MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium as a founding member. The initiative brings together academic researchers and global industry leaders to develop open-source solutions to pressing challenges, ensuring AI evolves in responsible and impactful ways.

Other founding members include OpenAI, Analog Devices, Tata Group, SK Telecom and TWG Global. Coca-Cola is the only consumer packaged goods company represented in the consortium.

AI and societal good

Anantha P. Chandrakasan, Provost, MIT: "We’re thrilled to have the support of Coca-Cola as a founding member of the Consortium. Their global reach and insights will be critical in helping us identify pressing challenges, pulling together the right partners and resources, and putting plans into action to solve problems."

Pratik Thakar, Global Vice President and Head of Generative AI, The Coca-Cola Company: "This represents a best-of-the-best combination of industry practicality and academic rigor. It also perfectly complements our commitment to make a difference by using AI in service of humanity."

The company has been an early adopter of AI and digital technologies across R&D, marketing, supply chain and inventory management. Its participation in the MIT consortium extends this commitment to research with a wider societal purpose.

Project “Save the Orange”

Alongside the consortium membership, Coca-Cola has launched Project Save the Orange to combat citrus greening, a bacterial disease also known as HLB. The disease has infected nearly all of Florida’s orange trees since 2004, causing billions of dollars in global industry losses. Without advances in detection and treatment, the global orange supply could be at risk within 25 years.

The project is being developed in partnership with Fundecitrus in Brazil and Invaio Sciences, with contributions from experts in agriculture, biotechnology, computer science, data science and public policy.

Christina Ruggiero, President, Global Nutrition Category, The Coca-Cola Company: "As a leading provider of fruit juice worldwide, we have a unique perspective on the critical issue of citrus greening. In these challenging times, we stand with the orange farming community and are closely collaborating with Brazil-based research lab Fundecitrus to find a viable solution."

Research collaboration

Antonio Juliano Ayres, Executive Director, Fundecitrus: "Citrus greening is one of the greatest threats to global citrus production, demanding urgent and collaborative action. Through the ‘Save the Orange’ partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and MIT, Fundecitrus reaffirms its long-standing commitment to science-driven solutions, transparency, and innovation."

Amy O’Shea, CEO, Invaio Sciences: "We’ve seen firsthand the devastation of this disease, and the proven efficacy of our Trecise treatment in stopping it. Treatments and application technologies will be critical components of a multi-pronged coordinated effort to restore tree health, citrus production, and farmer profitability."

Generative AI is being used to accelerate research timelines by simulating data, compressing processes that traditionally take years into months.

Pratik Thakar: "We’re deploying cutting-edge Generative AI in service of humanity and tackling globally critical problems. This complex issue demands a unique level of partnership and collaboration to slow down the spread of HLB, and ultimately find a long-term solution."

www.coca-colacompany.com

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