Heineken launches first global generative AI lab in Singapore to drive digital innovation
The initiative aims to boost customer engagement, productivity, and innovation through generative AI across Heineken’s worldwide operations.
SINGAPORE – Heineken, one of the world’s largest brewers, has announced the opening of its first global generative AI (GenAI) lab in Singapore.
The facility, established in partnership with AI Singapore, is part of the company’s broader digital transformation agenda to enhance growth, efficiency, and customer interaction across its global operations.
The newly launched lab will focus on developing scalable GenAI tools that can be applied to key business areas. These solutions will include autonomous agentic systems designed to address complex business problems and streamline operations.
Ronald Den Elzen, chief digital and technology officer at Heineken, said GenAI would increasingly support understanding consumer needs, enhancing customer interactions, and improving overall productivity within the company.
Among the intended developments are automated marketing content generation, advanced financial reporting systems, and intelligent customer service platforms. These innovations aim to simplify decision-making, accelerate response times, and enrich the consumer experience.
According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Powers of Retailing report, GenAI is rapidly transforming the retail sector, becoming essential in product and service personalization.
Technologies such as GenAI-based pricing models and dynamic product recommendations are expected to help brands like Heineken stay ahead by forecasting consumer behavior and optimizing product offerings.
These capabilities will not only enhance the range of options available to customers but also promote product discovery by recommending items consumers may not otherwise consider. The technology will also play a role in projecting store-level forecasts to suppliers, improving supply chain responsiveness.
In line with its GenAI efforts, Heineken recently appointed WPP as its global agency partner for shopper marketing and commerce across its beer portfolio.
The collaboration will leverage WPP Open, a platform powered by leading generative AI technologies from developers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google Gemini.
The partnership aims to integrate GenAI more deeply into Heineken’s marketing and commerce operations, allowing the brewer to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
The Singapore-based lab is expected to play a crucial role in supporting these goals across Heineken’s international footprint.
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