Milan-based foodservice trade show, Host, is emphasising the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on catering equipment and operations. The show feels the trend accelerated thanks to lockdown, with reliance on devices and apps related to the Internet of Things, from local restaurant menus to analysing big data to foresee diners' orders. A spokesperson for the event stated: "Nowadays the challenge is to understand how AI can respond to the needs of the new normal. What was once a fantasy has now become a reality. In other words the future is already here and there is an even more urgent demand for AI in industries that in the last few months have relied on it to provide solutions to the various problems that arose during lockdown at a global level."