OpenAI and LION collaborate to bring AI at scale to Australia's beverage industry
LION has announced a landmark collaboration in Australia and New Zealand with OpenAI.
What you need to know
LION has announced a collaboration to bring artificial intelligence at scale into the alcohol and beverage sector in the first FMCG partnership in Australia and New Zealand with OpenAI.
- LION has begun deploying ChatGPT Enterprise across its workforce of 2500+
- Building on this momentum, LION is also beginning to explore the use of Codex – OpenAI’s agentic coding tool utilised by 4 million weekly active users.
LION, a leading beverages company with powerhouse brands such as XXXX and Speight’s today announced a landmark collaboration to bring artificial intelligence at scale into the alcohol and beverage sector, in the first FMCG partnership in Australia and New Zealand with OpenAI.
Through this collaboration, OpenAI and LION will work together to embed AI across LION’s operations, from manufacturing and supply chain through to retail, marketing and corporate functions. This marks a significant step in integrating AI not as a standalone tool, but as a foundational capability reshaping how the business operates, makes decisions and drives growth.
LION has begun deploying ChatGPT Enterprise across its 2500+ workforce, supported by strong executive sponsorship and leadership engagement. This reflects a deliberate, top-down commitment to embedding AI into day-to-day workflows and accelerating organisation-wide adoption.
Early use AI cases are already demonstrating tangible value, from optimising days in inventory and unlocking insights from decades of brand data, to exploring new applications across brewing and production and supporting field sales teams. The team is also applying AI to demand forecasting, using more than 500 variables to better predict demand for beer, RTD, wine and spirits.
Building on this momentum, LION is also beginning to explore the use of Codex – OpenAI’s agentic coding tool utilised by 4 million weekly active users – to enhance productivity and accelerate innovation across its operations. LION has optimised parts of its legacy production code using OpenAI’s tools, in some instances by more than 99%. These initiatives highlight the potential for AI to drive efficiency, enhance productivity, and enable smarter, data-driven decision-making at scale.
The rollout has been designed to drive meaningful behaviour change across the organisation, with leadership and HR teams championing adoption. By equipping employees with new capabilities, LION aims to empower teams and future-proof its workforce in an increasingly AI-driven economy.
“At LION, we’ve always believed in evolving with our consumers and embracing innovation. This collaboration with OpenAI is about equipping our people with the tools and capabilities to work smarter, move faster, and continue delivering great products and experiences for our customers."
Robb Simpson, Executive General Manager – Digital & Technology at LION
“We’re constantly balancing supply and demand in a category where conditions can change overnight. Something as simple as an unexpected spike in temperature can drive a surge in demand for beer and spirits, putting pressure on our supply chain and our customers. That’s why we see significant opportunity in using tools like ChatGPT Enterprise to improve our demand forecasting and ensure we can respond more quickly and accurately in real time.”
Satya Tammareddy, Head of Go-To-Market for Australia & New Zealand at OpenAI, said LION is a reference case for how AI can be effectively deployed across complex, operational businesses, setting a new benchmark for Australia’s alcohol and beverage sector and beyond.
“LION is demonstrating a thoughtful, ambitious approach to AI adoption, embedding it across the organisation to unlock real value. This collaboration reflects the growing opportunity for established industries to use AI not just to optimise operations, but to fundamentally rethink how they grow, innovate, and compete.”
ChatGPT’s enterprise adoption is accelerating rapidly in Australia and New Zealand , with organisations such as Commonwealth Bank, Coles, Air New Zealand, Wesfarmers, Fortescue and Virgin Australia moving beyond experimentation to deploying AI in ways that drive real impact across their business, from engineering and operations through to customer engagement to unlock new levels of productivity.