Leveraging AI to Bring Personalization to the Grocery Shopping Experience | Henry Michaelson, Halla AI

With the advent of online shopping, the supermarket industry is undergoing a major transformation. As more consumers shift to online grocery shopping, experts predict that it will make up 20% of all grocery shopping by 2026. In response, grocery stores are seeking innovative technologies to enhance the in-store experience and stay ahead of the competition.   Today, we speak with Henry Michelson, Co-Founder and CTO of Halla IO. Halla is using AI to revolutionize personalization in grocery shopping. Its unique technology predicts shopper intent and recommends items they may want to purchase, offering true one-to-one personalization.   Listen to this episode to learn more about the journey from idea to finished product, strategies for increasing profitability in online grocery shopping, and the benefits of enhanced shopping experiences. Henry also shares insights on building an AI product, hiring for data science teams, and starting a successful startup.   If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.    Founder Bio:   Henry Michaelson, is the Co-Founder, President and CTO of Halla IO. He has a background in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Cognitive Science. Henry has worked on a variety of projects that include a machine learning algorithm to classify supernovae for the UC Berkeley Astrophysics department. He patented an algorithm that has distributed over $7M in awards to mobile gamers. Henry is a member of Forbes Technology Council and a regular guest in magazines and podcasts on AI and retail innovation. Henry’s day-to-day involves constantly improving Halla’s machine learning algorithm and leading internal technology operations.   Show Notes:    01:58 Background and how Halla was started   03:54 The journey from idea to finished product   07:00 A software company making taste intelligence solutions   08:54 Strategies to increase profitability in online grocery shopping   10:51 Consumer problems in grocery shopping experiences   13:00 Proprietary technology for grocery shopping recommendations   18:04 Benefits of enhanced grocery shopping experiences   20:00 Increasing profitability and acquiring data for knowledge graphs    25:49 Exploring grocery e-commerce innovations   31:29 Building an AI product: The process of architecting a ground-up project 36:09 Hiring seniority for data science teams 41:02 Exploring strategies for building a successful startup 42:31 How to get in contact with the Halla team     Resources   Company website: https://halla.io/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/halla-taste-intelligence/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/halla_io