Mill joins Google's AI Futures Fund to advance food waste characterization technology using Gemini

The award-winning waste technology company is building a Gemini-enabled visual waste characterization system with early model access through Google's AI Futures Fund.

SAN BRUNO, Calif., April 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mill Industries Inc. ("Mill") today announced that Mill Commercial, the company's high-capacity food recycler, will feature a Gemini-enabled visual waste characterization system, able to classify, track and characterize food scraps at the point of generation. 

The announcement marks a meaningful milestone for AI applied to real-world operations. Mill's characterization system uses integrated computer vision to identify what food is being discarded, in what quantities, and why — translating that stream of data into procurement and operational intelligence for large food service operators. 

Advanced access to models to enable Mill's technology is provided through Google's AI Futures Fund, which works to accelerate innovative approaches to AI deployment on Gemini. 

"Building Mill's waste characterization capabilities with pre-release Gemini models allows us to move faster than ever before, getting our customers closer to eliminating food waste for good," said Harry Tannenbaum, Co-Founder and President at Mill. "Having access to these Gemini models gives us the ability to greatly speed up development of our waste characterization technology and test it in pre-production environments."

Building on Gemini with the AI Futures Fund

The technology partnership is enabled by Google's AI Futures Fund, which is providing Mill with early access to next generation Gemini models and engineering resources as it develops this technology. This is a new use case for Gemini's models: Mill will give Google's AI teams real-world, high-volume feedback on model performance from their testing lab. 

"Mill is tackling a tangible, important real-world application of AI — bringing intelligence directly to the point where waste is generated, in physical environments where the stakes are measurable in pounds and dollars. Preventing food waste aligns to Google's commitment to the efficient and responsible use of resources," said Jonathan Silber, Co-Founder & Director of AI Futures Fund. "The AI Futures Fund exists to accelerate what's next in AI. Mill is reimagining what's possible and an opportunity to see next-generation Gemini models perform in a high-volume environment that represents a new frontier for this technology."

The Market Opportunity

The urgency behind this work is significant. In the U.S., food is the single most common material sent to landfills, with the value of the wasted food reaching over $400 billion. Mill Commercial is being built to give enterprise operators the hardware, data, and intelligence to get ahead of that trajectory.

About Mill Industries Inc. ("Mill") 

Mill is a technology company combining hardware and AI to reduce waste and recover value from everyday materials, starting with food. Today, the company's intelligent food recycling system transforms food scraps into nutrient-rich outputs to keep food out of landfills and put it to good use. Founded in 2020 by Nest alumni Matt Rogers and Harry Tannenbaum, Mill reimagines waste as a resource through intuitive technology, measurable insights, and beautiful design. Mill is a trademark of Mill Industries Inc. 

SOURCE Mill Industries Inc.