The supplement industry’s relationship with technology is complex. From formulation techniques to AI, the adoption of new technologies may forever reshape an industry that originated as a 'natural' alternative to tech-driven pharmaceuticals. In this issue you'll find experts sharing the insights on various different types of emergent tech.

We may have reached a point where technology poses questions that come close to the heart of the supplement industry’s identity. The challenges posed by synthetic biology (see “Stealth science,” page 33) have long been discussed, but the idea that artificial intelligence could soon be formulating products might take supplements as far from that herbalist in the cottage as the industry will ever tread (see “Formulating the future,” page 1).

NBJ has highlighted the potential of AI ingredient discovery with awards for both Nuritas and Brightseed Bioactives (see “Right-sizing AI,” page 25), but formulation feels like a different proposition. Removing humans from the product development equation might also remove any remaining pretense of “natural.” It would certainly be difficult to squeeze an AI formulation into any definition of “traditional medicine.”