Artificial Intelligence – AI – has emerged as a potentially game-changing tool in the packaging industry. Shifting consumer demands, the growth of e-commerce, and the drive for sustainable packaging are just some of the trends and challenges AI can help address when it comes to label and packaging design.

According to Towards Packaging, a consulting firm, globally, artificial intelligence in the packaging market is estimated to grow from $2,021.3 million in 2022 at 10.28% CAGR (2023-2032) to reach an estimated $5,375.28 million by 2032. The firm reports, “Packaging design is one of the leading industries where AI is having a significant impact. Packaging design has typically relied on the imagination and intuition of humans. To create unique and alluring packaging designs, AI algorithms are now being used to analyze vast amounts of data, including customer preferences, market trends, and brand guidelines. Designers can make better choices using AI-powered tools that simulate and visualize how the packaging will appear in various environments. This helps businesses create packaging that appeals to their target market while saving time and resources.”

Another area of focus in the packaging market is cannabis, a topic covered in L&NW in great detail in recent years. Mordor Intelligence estimates the global cannabis packaging market is expected to witness a CAGR of 24.3% over the next five years, due to the legalization movement and the rising demand for both medical and recreational cannabis products.

That all said, it’s high time to examine an instance of these two areas of growth coming together, and what can result when AI meets cannabis.

Hempacco partners with Snoop Dogg

Jorge Olson is the co-founder and CMO of two publicly traded companies, Hempacco, and Green Globe International. Olson is the author of business and inspirational books, as well as an authority on consumer packaged goods, beverages, and wholesale distribution. His partners are super-entrepreneur Sandro Piancone, Snoop Dogg, Cheech and Chong, James Linsey, and Rick Ross. He’s been featured in Marijuana Venture, Los Angeles Tribune and more.
Now Jorge can add Label & Narrow Web to the list of prominent publications featuring his work. I recently caught up with Jorge to discuss his recent venture with rap music and cannabis icon Snoop Dogg, where Hempacco and Snoop Dogg have released a line of cannabis products, including gummies, vapes, smoking paper, and pre-rolls.

Notably, the packaging for this line of gummies is the first packaging created by AI for Hempacco. Here’s what Jorge has to say about the project.

Steve Katz: Why did Hempacco choose to use AI-driven packaging for its joint venture with Snoop Dogg?
Jorge Olson (JO): When our relationship started, my thought was to use photographs from Snoop’s media kit, but he didn’t have photos in his media kit, so we needed to find some fast, and after more than 40 hours of hunting through the internet and flagging down photographers, I started developing a few ideas with AI. I began with some brick walls and graffiti, and after a few days, I had hundreds of Snoop Dogg images with inspiration from abstract expressionism all the way to modernism. I was not too fond of anything enough to put it in millions of packages, so I called my good old friend Gustavo Mayoral, whom I’ve known for almost four decades.

“What are you doing with AI?” I asked.

“I’m developing and training an AI model for photography, especially portraits,” replied Gustavo.

Sometimes, you get lucky! Gustavo is a professional photographer and recovering software architect; he’s an award-winning artist and who I needed. Gustavo and I worked together to develop the correct type of artwork. I already knew what I wanted; now we needed to communicate it to Gustavo’s AI, train it, and produce hundreds of images, until we got the one we had in our heads.

SK: Can you explain the process of developing the packaging using AI?
JO: There are many different ways to use AI with packaging, design, merchandising materials, and even social media posts. You can go to AI tools from Google, Microsoft, or Stable Diffusion, type what you want, and you’ll get it in two or three seconds, a few more if you have very complex prompts – this is great to get started for designers and artists.

However, packaging design has many different variables, from colors to size, materials, and research to structure variables, including the front image, legal disclaimers, and surface areas, all the way to my favorite: what do you want to accomplish? For this last question, the answer could be sales, influence, or to communicate something to the consumer. AI can assist package designers with research, ideas, testing, images, 3D renders, and marketing assets.

The big task is how do you train your AI, because, out of the box, AI will not be able to read your mind or give you what you think you want. For now, AI is immature, and you need to teach it to act and talk a certain way. For example, when we developed the Snoop Dogg packaging, we wanted a bust or head and shoulders shot of a slightly younger Snoop Dogg, with a bad-ass hoodie, and wearing glasses. We wanted to portray an intellectual Snoop. We also wanted the image to look exactly like a photograph. It took hundreds of hours to program on top of Stable Diffusion, in order to train our very own AI model that could produce the type of quality and detail we needed.

SK: What are Hempacco’s future plans for utilizing AI?
JO: We at Hempacco already have access to this new AI image model, and we’re continuing to develop products and marketing materials using our AI. For the future, we’re looking for AI that can develop, test, and sell new consumer packaged goods.

SK: How can AI revolutionize the future of packaging in the cannabis industry?
JO: AI will be able to give you ideas, develop concepts, and come up with finished packaging, all in real time. A few years after that, AI will be able to test those same products before you even go to production.

SK: What are your thoughts – in general – on the cannabis packaging industry?
JO: The cannabis packaging industry has been innovating from the start, and the industry will continue to push the envelope in product design and packaging.

SK: What are your thoughts when it comes to labels, in particular, their importance and the role they play in cannabis packaging?
JO: Labels are the single most important thing in cannabis sales. It’s your point of sale (POS) in front of the right consumer, every time. You need to communicate, educate, and develop a relationship with the consumer in two or three seconds.

For more information, visit www.hempacco.com.


Steve Katz is the former editor of Label & Narrow Web and is now a regular contributor. He is focused on helping companies in the label industry share their news and tell their stories. Follow him on twitter @LabelSteve.