Abstract
The cosmetic industry is a highly innovative and competitive sector in which new product development (NPD) requires integrating multidisciplinary knowledge from different scientific and technological domains. However, the increasing complexity of cosmetic product development requires the coordination and transformation of information into useful knowledge to support innovation activities. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) could facilitate the collection, organization, connection, and transformation of information into knowledge. This paper proposes an AI-Assisted Knowledge Process for cosmetic product innovation to systematize the integration of AI, knowledge management, and innovation methods during the conceptual design phase of NPD. The process includes four main activities in which AI supports different tasks. First, AI assists with problem formulation and opportunity identification, including creating the Network of Problems. Second, AI supports knowledge acquisition and solution exploration. Third, AI assists in concept generation and development. Finally, AI supports the structuring and capitalization of knowledge acquired and generated during the conceptual design phase to facilitate future reuse. A retrospective illustrative example from a previous experimental project involving a hydrating sheet mask shows how the proposed process can be applied. In this example, AI supports interdisciplinary knowledge management, the exploration and generation of alternative solutions, and concept development, while human experts retain responsibility for evaluation and decision-making.