Artificial Intelligence has moved beyond a conceptual buzzword to become a tangible tool reshaping the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. Nowhere is this transformation more evident than in product packaging. To understand exactly how algorithms are redesigning the products on our shelves, we sat down with Julian Vance, Founder of PACKWISE AI, ahead of his highly anticipated keynote at the 2026 FMCG Festival.
Vance’s company is currently working with some of the world’s largest retail brands, utilizing Generative AI (GenAI) to slash prototyping times by up to 70%. Here, he discusses the mechanics of this shift, the intersection of AI and sustainability, and what the future holds for packaging engineers.
Q: Generative AI is dominating headlines, but how exactly is it being practically applied to FMCG packaging today?
Julian Vance: "Traditionally, packaging design has been a highly linear, labor-intensive process. A brand wants a new bottle design: marketers create a brief, designers sketch concepts, engineers test structural integrity, and physical prototypes are cast. If a prototype fails a drop test or uses too much plastic, you go all the way back to step one.
Generative AI completely shatters that linear timeline. Today, we can feed an AI model a set of rigid constraints—say, a brand’s color palette, a requirement to use 100% recycled PET, and a specific volume capacity. Within seconds, the GenAI generates hundreds of viable, structurally sound 3D models. It doesn't just create pretty pictures; it generates mathematically verified engineering files."
Q: You’ve stated that this technology can reduce prototyping times by up to 70%. How is that massive reduction achieved?
JV: "It comes down to predictive simulation. The most time-consuming part of packaging development is physical iteration—creating molds, pouring materials, and physically testing them on a conveyor belt or shipping pallet.
Our AI models are trained on millions of data points regarding material science and physics. Before a single physical mold is ever created, the AI simulates how a specific bottle shape will handle the pressure of being stacked five pallets high, or how a new bio-plastic wrapper will react to humidity. By the time a brand actually prints a physical prototype, the AI has already eliminated the 99 designs that would have failed. You are essentially skipping months of trial and error."
Q: Sustainability is the biggest mandate in FMCG right now. How does GenAI help brands hit their eco-friendly targets?
JV: "AI is the ultimate optimizer. One of the hardest challenges in sustainable packaging is 'lightweighting'—using the absolute minimum amount of material necessary without compromising the product's safety.
Humans are great designers, but an AI can calculate the precise structural geometry needed to shave two grams of plastic off a shampoo bottle while making it 10% stronger. When you scale those two grams across 50 million units shipped globally, the reduction in raw material costs and carbon emissions is staggering. Furthermore, GenAI is helping us rapidly test entirely new, untested biomaterials—like seaweed or mushroom mycelium—predicting their shelf-life and durability much faster than traditional lab testing."
Q: What is your message to packaging designers and engineers who might fear AI will replace their roles?
JV: "AI is not here to replace packaging engineers; it is here to give them superpowers. The AI cannot understand human emotion, brand heritage, or the tactile joy a consumer feels when unboxing a premium product. It is a tool—a highly advanced calculator that handles the tedious mathematics of structural integrity and material optimization. The brands that will dominate the next decade are the ones where visionary human designers are sitting at the helm, using AI as their co-pilot to bring their boldest ideas to market faster than ever before."
Catch Julian Vance Live: Julian Vance will be diving deeper into the technical workflows of AI-driven design during his keynote session, "Generative AI in Product Management," on the Main Stage at the FMCG Festival. Check out the full speaker lineup to plan your festival schedule.