COOCO is an AI-powered platform dedicated to reducing food waste and promoting sustainability by helping users manage their kitchen smarter. One key challenge we face is ensuring users make the most of their ingredients before they expire. Our goal for this project is to collaborate with interns to develop an AI-driven solution focused on optimizing ingredient tracking. Specifically, we want to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to predict which ingredients are at risk of expiring soon and suggest actionable ways to use them, such as personalized recipe recommendations.

This project offers learners a focused opportunity to apply AI/ML techniques to a real-world problem while contributing to COOCO’s mission of sustainability. Interns will work with our existing dataset—comprising user ingredient inventories and expiration dates—to build a predictive model that enhances our platform’s ability to minimize food waste.

The project involves the following steps:

• Exploring COOCO’s ingredient tracking dataset and its structure.
• Researching AI/ML techniques suitable for predicting expiration risks.
• Developing a simple AI/ML model to identify at-risk ingredients and suggest uses.
• Testing the model and refining it based on results.

How will you support learners in completing the project?

COOCO is committed to providing a supportive learning environment. Interns will have direct access to our team for mentorship and guidance, including:

• An introduction to our ingredient tracking system and dataset, with clear documentation.
• Answers to questions about the data or platform features.
• Feedback on model development and suggestions for refining approaches.
• Access to industry insights on how AI/ML is applied to food management (no advanced expertise required).

We will also provide a sample dataset upfront and regular check-ins to ensure learners stay on track and feel confident in their progress.

Why this project is great for learners

This internship is designed to bridge classroom knowledge with practical application. You’ll gain hands-on experience in:

• Working with real-world data to solve a meaningful problem.
• Applying AI/ML techniques in a focused, manageable way.
• Contributing to a sustainability-focused mission that impacts everyday life.

Rather than tackling a broad scope, you’ll dive deep into one specific challenge—optimizing ingredient tracking—making this a rewarding and achievable learning experience.

By the end of the internship, interns should demonstrate:

• Understanding of the dataset: Ability to analyze and interpret COOCO’s ingredient inventory data, including quantities and expiration dates.
• Knowledge of AI/ML techniques: Familiarity with basic predictive modeling methods (e.g., regression, classification) relevant to expiration tracking.
• Application of AI/ML to a real-world problem: Successfully building a model that predicts at-risk ingredients and ties them to actionable suggestions.

Final deliverables will include:

• A concise report (2-3 pages) detailing:
• A brief overview of the dataset and its key features.
• The specific problem addressed (predicting ingredient expiration risks).
• The AI/ML methodology used (e.g., tools, algorithms).
• Results of the model, including accuracy or effectiveness.
• One practical recommendation for how COOCO can use the model moving forward.
• A working code file (e.g., Python script or Jupyter notebook) showing the model development and output.