PepsiCo is embedding AI across its operations with a formal Responsible AI Policy, framing the technology as a tool to empower employees and strengthen sustainable farming rather than replace workers.

What happened: At the TIME100 AI Impact Dinner, PepsiCo's Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer Athina Kanioura outlined the company's approach to AI adoption. She emphasized that enthusiasm for AI is coming from employees across the organization, and that PepsiCo has established a formal Responsible AI Policy to ensure innovation remains safe, ethical, and human-centered.

Why it matters: For a company with more than 320,000 employees worldwide, AI represents a cultural shift as much as a technological one. By positioning AI as a tool to empower people rather than replace them, and by applying it to challenges like sustainable agriculture and climate resilience, PepsiCo signals that large food and beverage companies are moving beyond operational automation to address supply-chain sustainability.

What to watch: PepsiCo is using AI to optimize crop practices and support farmers adapting to climate change, integrating the technology into regenerative agriculture across its supply chain. The company's formal Responsible AI Policy places it among a small group of global companies with explicit governance frameworks for ethical AI use.