AI is increasingly becoming an essential ingredient for creating unusual recipes. — Image generated by OpenAI's DALL·E/ETX Majelan
From gelato to pizza to burgers, artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to come up with innovative recipes, while also serving as a means of promoting these new food creations.
Synonymous with Italian culinary culture, gelato is undergoing a minor revolution. While creative cooks may have thought they'd come up with all the most original flavors, that was without counting on a new tool that could expand the field of possibilities even further: artificial intelligence.
In Milan, an ice cream manufacturer has embarked on a new business venture to offer "something that is really special,” according to owner Gianfranco Sampo, who spoke to Euronews. His idea is to offer truly innovative ice creams.
And to do this, Gianfranco Sampo decided to harness the technological prowess of the most famous of AI chatbots, Chat GPT. The owner of the Terra gelateria submitted 87 recipes to OpenAI's software, asking for a whole new list of new ideas.
Based on the results, the manufacturer has concocted a white chocolate ice cream topped with a balsamic sauce and caramelized black pepper. The range was then extended to include cinnamon with almond crunch and diced pears in prosecco.
Fortunately for Gianfranco Sampo, they all sound tasty enough, but in recent years, the technology has come up with a number of less popular ice cream flavors, using mayonnaise, garlic or even haggis, the iconic Scottish dish made from sheep's stomach.
One major benefit of this approach lies in the rationalisation of tasks and the use of raw materials. By using Chat GPT, this gelateria has the means to find out the exact quantities of ingredients needed to concoct its ice creams, and thus reduce waste. The machines used to make the ice creams are equipped with a computer to supply the precise quantities predicted by the AI.
While the story of this gelateria is deliciously innovative, it is just one in a growing number of food products made using recipes concocted with AI. This summer, a Dubai-based pizza chain called Dodo Pizza was the talk of the town with a ChatGPT-created pizza with ingredients including lamb, zaatar, paneer (Indian cheese), parsley and tahini sauce.
Its recipe combines Western, Indian and Middle Eastern flavors, reflecting the diverse population of the city in the United Arab Emirates. Via the mobile app, customers can even create their own pizzas using artificial intelligence.
When it comes to street food, AI is proving to be a popular ingredient. Even a giant like Burger King has been using it as a new marketing tool. The burger chain launched a competition last year for its customers to create their own burgers.
The fast-food company provided them with an artificial intelligence generator to concoct real recipes. After testing the most original burgers, three of them were added to the menus of US-based restaurants. – AFP Relaxnews
