Sodexo is expanding its use of artificial intelligence and robotics across its global operations under the direction of Alice Guéhennec, chief tech, data, and digital officer. The company is automating processes including menu planning, staffing, and checkout-free retail experiences.

Guéhennec, who returned to Sodexo in September 2023, stated the initiative is focused on increasing the adoption of AI at scale. "It's about increasing adoption and putting AI everywhere at scale," Guéhennec said. Sodexo uses an AI tool named "Menu AI" to automate menu conceptualization for chefs. This tool manages menus from a selection of 400 seasonal recipes in a single day, a task that previously took two to four weeks. Menu AI accounts for raw material price fluctuations, seasonality, and on-site demand. "It's deployed to thousands of sites," Guéhennec said. Sodexo is developing AI to create new recipes based on market trends, a project that Guéhennec said is still under construction. "We are working to have AI that builds new recipes based on the trends on the market," she said.

For facilities management, which accounts for 40% of Sodexo's revenue, AI tools assist on-site managers in planning staffing levels. Sodexo also uses AI to track room usage to determine cleaning requirements and to make data-driven restocking recommendations. The company tests each major AI use case at approximately five to ten locations. Employees can request licenses for AI services such as Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini Enterprise. "You have to give people freedom with AI if you want them to adopt it," Guéhennec said. She added, "If it's just a top-down approach, I think it doesn't work."

Sodexo is experimenting with frictionless stores that use AI and computer vision technology. This technology has been implemented at two universities in St. Louis. Sodexo reported a 56% increase in revenue at one university with the checkout-free retail experience. Another unnamed university recorded a 28% increase in sales and an 11% increase in average check size through this technology.

Additionally, Sodexo has deployed around 200 robots globally. This includes 100 floor-cleaning robots across all regions and 85 delivery robots, predominantly in the U.S. The company is exploring the use of robots in kitchens to perform repetitive or risky tasks. "We are looking for some robots like this," Guéhennec said. "To reduce the danger and level of accidents in our kitchens and to replace the less safe tasks with robots." Sodexo has an annual technology budget of approximately 500 million euros.

Why It Matters

Sodexo, a company with approximately $28 billion in annual revenue, provides food services to various sectors, including schools, corporate offices, stadiums, hospitals, and airport lounges, with food services accounting for 60% of its sales. The adoption of AI and robotics across these diverse environments reflects a company-wide shift towards technological solutions to manage logistical and operational aspects, as demonstrated by the impact on menu generation and retail sales in pilot programs.