Citation: Baˇ ciulien ˙ e,V.; Bilan, Y.; Navickas, V.; Civín, L. The Aspects of Artificial Intelligence in Different Phases of the Food Value and Supply Chain. Foods 2023, 12, 1654. https://doi.org/10.3390/ foods12081654 Academic Editor: Min Zhang Received: 13 March 2023 Revised: 8 April 2023 Accepted: 13 April 2023 Published: 15 April 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). foods Article The Aspects of Artificial Intelligence in Different Phases of the Food Value and Supply Chain Vaida Baˇ ciulien˙ e 1 , Yuriy Bilan 2, * , Valentinas Navickas 1,3 and Lubomir Civín 2 1 School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, 44249 Kaunas, Lithuania; vaida.baciuliene@ktu.edu (V.B.); valna@ktu.lt (V.N.) 2 Faculty of Economics and Management, Czech University of Life Sciences, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic; civinl@pef.czu.cz 3 Lithuania Business University of Applied Sciences, 91249 Klaipeda, Lithuania * Correspondence: y.bilan@csr-pub.eu Abstract: The types of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence integration to the food value and supply chain, other technologies embedded with artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence adoption barriers in the food value and supply chain, and solutions to overcome these barriers were analyzed by the authors. It was demonstrated by the analysis that artificial intelligence can be integrated vertically into the entire food supply and value chain, owing to its wide range of functions. Different phases of the chain are affected by developed technologies such as robotics, drones, and smart machines. Different capabilities are provided for different phases by the interaction of artificial intelligence with other technologies such as big data mining, machine learning, the Internet of services, agribots, industrial robots, sensors and drones, digital platforms, driverless vehicles and machinery, and nanotechnology, as revealed by a systematic literature analysis. However, the application of artificial intelligence is hindered by social, technological, and economic barriers. These barriers can be overcome by developing the financial and digital literacy of farmers and by disseminating good practices among the participants of the food supply and value chain. Keywords: artificial intelligence; food supply chain; artificial intelligence challenges 1. Introduction In this study, the aspects of artificial intelligence use in the food value and supply chain will be comprehensively evaluated. The concept of vertical integration in the food industry and how AI can be integrated into different stages of the food value and sup- ply chain will be explored, along with the identification of key barriers to its application. By providing a retrospective evaluation of previous publications on this topic, new con- tributions will be identified, research trends captured, and prospective areas for future investigation highlighted. The need for this study stems from the fact that the agrifood industry plays a crucial role in the country’s development and affects the global economy. However, key partici- pants in the food supply and value chain are forced to seek new solutions and competitive advantages due to changing competitive environments. The food supply chain is complex, and previous research has focused on various phases of the food system separately [1–5]. However, there is a lack of research on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the food supply chain as a whole [6–8]. To address this gap in knowledge, this study aims to evaluate the use of AI in all stages of the food system. The authors argue that the increasing body of knowledge related to AI requires a new approach to comprehend the knowledge structure of this field. Therefore, this study will provide a retrospective evaluation of the publications accumulated to reveal new contributions, capture research trends, and identify prospective areas for future investigation. The study aims to answer the following research questions: Foods 2023, 12, 1654. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12081654 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods