AI-FEED: Prototyping an AI-Powered Platform for the Food Charity Ecosystem

Conceptual workflow diagram of AI-FEED development proce

Low-Fidelity mockup of AI-FEED’s community leader module demonstrating proposed food pantry locations through GeoAI-based suitability analysis

Low-fidelity mockup of AI-FEED’s community leader module demonstrating bus route optimization

Abstract

This paper introduces AI-FEED, a web-based platform (ai-feed.ai) designed to tackle food and nutrition insecurity within the food charity ecosystem. Using AI and blockchain technology, AI-FEED improves access to nutritious food and optimizes resource allocation, aiming to reduce food waste and enhance community health. It was developed through stakeholder interviews and features four modules catering to food charities, donors, clients, and community leaders. These modules provide educational content, streamline donations, and deliver real-time information. The platform facilitates data sharing and emphasizes ethical considerations and sustainability. AI-FEED showcases the power of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing societal challenges.

Acknowledgements

The authors want to acknowledge food pantry stakeholders who participated in the interviews and provided valuable input. We also want to acknowledge three authors’ use of ChatGPT (OpenAI, Inc., San Francisco, CA,U.S.A.) for grammar, sentence structure, and clarity editing purposes. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator, under Grant No. 2236305.

Team

Marcus Sammer, Kijin Seong, Norma Olvera, Susie L. Gronseth, Elizabeth Anderson-Fletcher, Junfeng Jiao, Alison Reese, Ioannis A. Kakadiaris

Declarations

Conflict of interest The authors declare that there are no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval TheUniversity of Houston’s institutional reviewboard approved the questionnaires and the interviewing process.

Consent to Participate Written consentwas obtained from all interview participants.

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