By D. W. G. Kalani Tharanga, JadeTimes News
The Success Stories, AI Created Dishes That Wow Customers
In the bustling and diverse culinary scene of Dubai, Spartak Arutyunyan, head of menu development for Dodo Pizza, decided to experiment with AI to craft a new pizza recipe that would reflect the city’s rich cultural mix. With 90% of Dubai's population being immigrants, the challenge was to create a dish that could resonate with a broad range of tastes. Turning to ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, Arutyunyan requested a pizza recipe that would blend the culinary traditions of the city's multicultural residents.
The AI’s response was a fusion pizza topped with Arab shawarma chicken, Indian grilled paneer cheese, Middle Eastern Za'atar herbs, and tahini sauce a combination that Arutyunyan admits he would never have considered as a chef. Yet, when the pizza was launched, it became an instant hit and remains a staple on the menu. This success story highlights how AI can push the boundaries of traditional culinary creativity, offering innovative combinations that can delight customers in unexpected ways.
Similarly, across the Atlantic in Dallas, Venecia Willis, culinary director at Velvet Taco, used AI to brainstorm ideas for their weekly taco special. She instructed ChatGPT to create recipes with specific ingredients, and while some suggestions were less appealing such as red curry, coconut tofu, and pineapple one recipe stood out. The prawn and steak taco that AI proposed was a huge success, selling 22,000 in just one week. Willis believes AI is a valuable tool for sparking creativity when chefs are in a rut, providing fresh ideas that might otherwise be overlooked.
The Skepticism: Limitations and Ethical Concerns of AI in the Culinary World
Despite these success stories, not everyone in the food industry is convinced that AI is a boon for menu development. Julian de Feral, a London based cocktail creator, remains skeptical, arguing that AI lacks the common sense required for truly innovative and intuitive culinary creations. AI chatbots like ChatGPT are not magical; they rely on vast amounts of data available online, which means they might simply regurgitate existing recipes rather than invent something entirely new. This reliance on existing data raises ethical concerns as well. Emily Bender, a linguistics professor at the University of Washington, warns that AI could inadvertently lift recipes from someone’s blog, potentially reducing the traffic and revenue for the original creators.
However, the potential for AI to assist in more sophisticated recipe creation in the future cannot be dismissed. AI could be programmed to categorize ingredients by taste profiles such as sweet or acidic and suggest combinations that harmonize well together. This approach could lead to a wealth of new, detailed recipes, provided there is a clear and well defined research question guiding the AI’s exploration.
In addition to recipe creation, AI is also making strides in spotting food trends. UK supermarket chain Waitrose uses AI to monitor social media for rising food trends, such as “smash burgers” and “crookies,” a croissant filled with cookie dough and chocolate chips. By analyzing the popularity of these trends, Waitrose has been able to quickly introduce them to their stores, keeping their offerings fresh and appealing to customers.
As AI continues to evolve, its role in the culinary world is likely to grow. However, most experts agree that while AI can be a powerful tool for inspiration, the human element remains essential in validating and perfecting the final product. After all, cooking is as much an art as it is a science, and the best dishes often come from the intuitive touch of a skilled chef rather than an algorithm.
