Citation: Rapa, M.; Ciano, S.; Orsini, F.; Tullo, M.G.; Giannetti, V.; Boccacci Mariani, M. Adoption of AI-Based Technologies in the Food Supplement Industry: An Italian Start-Up Case Study. Systems 2023, 11, 265. https://doi.org/10.3390/ systems11060265 Academic Editors: Ikpe Justice Akpan, Bamidele Adebisi and Murali S. Shanker Received: 28 March 2023 Revised: 18 May 2023 Accepted: 20 May 2023 Published: 23 May 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/). systems Article Adoption of AI-Based Technologies in the Food Supplement Industry: An Italian Start-Up Case Study Mattia Rapa 1, * , Salvatore Ciano 2 , Francesca Orsini 3 , Maria Giulia Tullo 4 , Vanessa Giannetti 1 and Maurizio Boccacci Mariani 1 1 Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy 2 Department of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium 3 Alta Scuola di Economia e Management dei Sistemi Sanitari, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 20123 Milan, Italy 4 Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy * Correspondence: mattia.rapa@uniroma1.it Abstract: Although many industries have already implemented technologies based on artificial intelligence (AI) in their business, the effects of new digital solutions on customer satisfaction are not yet fully known. This study aimed to evaluate the AI-based advice implemented by an Italian start-up operating in food supplements to support customer choices. The evaluation utilized the Delphi method and a questionnaire survey. This research aimed to provide companies wishing to use AI with a preliminary evaluation criterion for improving customer satisfaction through digital approaches. Research findings indicate that AI-based advice can improve customer perspectives, such as customer satisfaction and loyalty, by providing a value-added business service, diversified for each product category. However, some mistakes have emerged, which may still be a limitation in the use of AI-based advice. Therefore, this study presents an innovative approach to evaluate the performance of digital advice in traditional sectors such as the food industry. Keywords: artificial intelligence; digital advice; customer satisfaction; food industry; food supplements 1. Introduction Tech sectors have rapidly implemented new digital solutions, including artificial intelligence (AI), to create new services or improve traditional ones [1]. Integrating AI into production systems increases productivity, competitiveness, energy efficiency, and sustainability, improving the customer experience. In addition, customer services of several companies have introduced AI to reduce costs and improve service efficiency [2]. Currently, no sector can avoid the digital revolution, which implies the technological implementation of processes and a radical change in traditional thinking. The literature shows that several companies have already adopted AI applications for productivity, business management, and customer engagement purposes, e.g., in the health care [3–5], nutrition [6], agriculture [7–9], building [10,11], transport [12], energy [13], chemical [14], geotechnical [15], business and marketing [16,17], education [18], animal farming [19], hospitality and tourism [20], and job recruitment [21] fields. Although some business sectors, such as the food, nutrition, and dietary supplement industries, are more traditional, and slower to implement new technological strategies, digital technologies can offer substantial opportunities to gain a competitive advantage in business strate- gies [22]. These prospects can occur in terms of a more efficient manufacturing process (e.g., better control and traceability of raw materials, and improved manufacturing and stock control) and/or improvement of the product development processes (e.g., in per- sonalised nutrition or food supplements fields). Moreover, developing innovative digital solutions drive the industry from a product-centric approach to a consumer-centric focus Systems 2023, 11, 265. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11060265 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/systems