It might be a triumph of global capitalism that you can order a Coke in London, Tokyo or Ulaanbaatar and, a few minor recipe tweaks aside, it'll taste pretty much the same. But Jason Cohen, the chief executive of Analytical Flavor Systems, an artificial intelligence platform for food and beverage producers, believes it could soon feel old-fashioned, not to mention unappealing, to consume food and drinks designed for a mass market rather than your specific demographic or – in time – you. One day you might be able to hold your smartphone up to a vending machine and order a unique Coca-Cola, with a recipe formulated to appeal to your particular palate, and continually tweaked according to your feedback. Cohen's company uses AI to help food and drink producers appeal to target groups and predict what people might like in the future. I met Cohen, 27, in a Japanese-style tea shop in downtown Manhattan.