Between Algorithms, Intuition, and Sizzling Pans
In recent years, even in the kitchen you can start to smell the scent of Artificial Intelligence. It’s not (yet) a chef with a tall white hat and robotic arms, but rather a silent and versatile presence, capable of learning from habits, optimizing processes, and suggesting creative combinations.
But AI in the kitchen is not science fiction. It’s already a reality — and not just in research labs or experimental restaurants in Tokyo.
Even in Italy, well-known names have begun to explore the potential of this new digital ingredient. Carlo Cracco, for instance, has shown interest in technologies that can monitor kitchen operations in real-time and support the consistency of dishes across different locations — even when he’s not physically present. In this sense, AI is positioned more as a tool for taste memory and quality control than as a competitor at the stove.
A more experimental and technical approach comes from Gabriele Mandura, one of the first Italian chefs to work closely with data scientists and developers. In his vision of cooking, Artificial Intelligence becomes a kind of creative partner: it analyzes ingredients, develops flavor patterns, and suggests new paths. The final taste is still human, of course, but the machine can offer unexpected insights. A brainstorming session between man and algorithm.
Behind the Scenes: What Does AI Really Do in the Kitchen?
Beyond the somewhat futuristic appeal, AI in the kitchen today operates mostly behind the scenes. It’s not (or not yet) about robots plating dishes or frying chips, but rather about algorithms collecting and interpreting data: order flows, ingredient seasonality, customer preferences, cost trends. In essence, AI becomes an invisible director, optimizing every step — from the shopping list to mise en place.
For those working in the restaurant industry, this means being able to anticipate service needs, reduce waste, better manage inventory and — why not — imagine dynamic menus, capable of adapting in real time to what’s happening in the kitchen or dining room. That’s no small thing. And above all, it’s not just theory: these are real tools, already in use in major kitchens and in contexts where precision is everything.
Augmented Creativity? When the Algorithm Inspires the Chef
One of the most intriguing — and hotly debated — questions is whether Artificial Intelligence can truly be creative. In the kitchen, where gestures, experience, and intuition still count for a lot, the idea that a machine can “invent” a recipe may sound almost provocative. And yet, some are giving it a try.
It’s not about replacing human flair, but about opening new paths. Gabriele Mandura, for example, has worked on systems that analyze vast quantities of recipes, spices, techniques, and pairings from around the world, returning hybrid, unexpected suggestions. It’s like flipping through an atlas of taste written by a mind free of cultural bias. From there, it’s up to the chef to interpret, adapt, and decide what actually ends up on the plate.
This approach also resonates with the vision of Massimo Bottura. Although he doesn’t use AI directly to create his dishes, he has stated that such technology could help chefs save time — for example, by replicating complex processes or standardizing certain preparations — thus allowing more space for research and creativity. At the same time, Bottura reminds us that great cuisine also stems from mistakes, emotion, and irrationality. And those, he says, are things a machine cannot replicate. In the end, AI can suggest, but the chef decides the final flavor of every story.
Chef Watson… and Beyond: When AI Really Steps into the Kitchen
Among the most well-known experiments is Chef Watson, a project developed by IBM in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America, which offered a tangible glimpse into the creative potential of Artificial Intelligence. The idea was as simple as it was ambitious: to train an algorithm on thousands of recipes, food chemistry principles, and cultural pairings, then ask it to create entirely new dishes. The result? Curious combinations, sometimes surprising — like mango and porcini salads or spicy cocktails with unusual flavor profiles.
The goal wasn’t to create perfect dishes, but to break culinary habits and spark a new vision of taste. Since then, other projects have taken up the torch. DishGen, for example, allows users to generate recipes by simply inputting a few ingredients or a concept: in seconds, the AI delivers a complete dish — title, description, and instructions included. CookAIfood goes even further, offering the ability to create personalized menus based on photos or a grocery list, while Plant Jammer focuses on plant-based dishes, promoting a sustainable approach to everyday cooking.
Some are even playing with cultural crossovers: like Food Mood, an experiment by Google Arts & Culture that suggests fusion recipes combining inspirations from different — sometimes distant — cuisines. And then there’s The Algorithmic Chef, a project by SPACE10, which integrates AI into daily life to reduce waste and encourage healthier habits, offering more mindful alternatives.
They’re all different examples, but share a common thread: the idea that technology should not replace the chef, but support them. Like an extra voice at the creativity table.
Management, Sustainability, and Precision: AI as a Silent Ally
Beyond creativity, Artificial Intelligence can play a key role in the more operational — and less visible — side of the kitchen. We’re talking about inventory management, cost control, demand forecasting, time optimization, and waste reduction. This is where AI excels: silent, tireless, and focused on data.
In a professional kitchen, where every minute counts and every gram wasted has a cost, having a system that can predict purchasing needs based on order flow, or flag anomalies in supply chains, can make all the difference. Especially at a time when sustainability and profit margins are critical keywords. In this context, AI doesn’t change the flavor of a dish — but it can ensure that dish is sustainable, replicable, and served at the right moment.
Tailored Menus and New Ways to Tell Food Stories
Another area where AI is making inroads is personalization. Restaurants and hotels, particularly in the high-end sector, are beginning to use data to craft tailored experiences: menus that adapt to client preferences, suggestions based on past tastes, dietary choices, allergies — even the time of day, mood, or weather.
This is not science fiction. It’s a new way of understanding hospitality: more attentive, more precise, perhaps even more intimate. Some systems already allow restaurants to link a guest’s profile to a customized food and wine offering, taking into account their preferences or what they ordered in the past. In this case, AI acts like a discreet digital maître d’, observing without being intrusive and making suggestions at just the right time.
But it doesn’t stop there. Some chefs and restaurateurs are also experimenting with AI to tell stories about food in new ways: chatbots that introduce dishes, describe ingredient origins, and narrate the backstory of a recipe. It’s another way to build connection, even when the service is fast or the setting more casual.
From Michelin Stars to Home Kitchens: AI as Your Personal Chef
If in restaurants AI moves through numbers, flows, and optimization, at home it takes on a new role — more intimate, almost familiar. The first chatbots dedicated to cooking are already a reality: just type “I have two zucchinis, an egg, and some rice” and receive a coherent, balanced, and maybe even surprising dish in response. But this is just the beginning.
The latest generation of virtual assistants is evolving from simple responders into true digital personal chefs. They can learn from your habits, remember that you’re lactose intolerant, or that you prefer vegetarian meals on Tuesdays. They can suggest a light recipe when they know you’re going for a run later, or offer comfort food after a rough day. Some can even keep track of what’s in your pantry, suggest an optimized weekly shopping list, and sync with your fitness apps or calendar.
It’s a paradigm shift: cooking is no longer just following a recipe, but dialoguing with a system that knows your tastes, respects your rhythm, and adapts to your lifestyle. A kitchen companion, not a substitute. A creative ally, not the enemy of spontaneity.
And then there’s the educational potential. For those who never learned how to cook, an AI assistant can become a patient coach, explaining every step, suggesting alternatives, and correcting mistakes without judgment. An opportunity to rediscover the joy of cooking, even for those who had lost it — or never had it in the first place.
In the future, we might have a digital culinary identity: a profile that follows us everywhere — from our home kitchen to hotel kitchens — always ready to suggest the right dish, at the right time. And maybe that future isn’t so far off. We’re just a step away from having a truly personalized virtual assistant. Once that’s active — game on.
AI cum grano salis
Artificial Intelligence in the kitchen is not a threat in itself. It’s a tool — and like all tools, it can be used wisely or poorly. It can help us be more efficient, reduce waste, discover new flavor combinations, and even tell better stories about what we serve. But it cannot — and must not — replace what makes cooking a deeply human act: intuition, experience, error, memory.
There is, however, a real risk: the temptation of easy cost-cutting. Some entrepreneurs might see AI as a way to cut human labor — “let the chatbot handle it” — reducing the kitchen to an automated, soulless assembly line. That would be a serious mistake. Because behind every dish lies a culture, a sensitivity, a story that no algorithm can generate on its own.
And then there’s the data question: who controls the information we feed into these systems every day? How much of our gastronomic intimacy are we willing to trade for convenience? The line between personalized service and invisible surveillance is thin — and deserves our attention.
The real challenge AI presents is not technical, but cultural. Technology evolves, updates, adapts. The reasons why we adopt it are often clear: to do things better, faster, with less waste. But the how makes all the difference. It’s the how that can turn a tool into an opportunity — or into a shortcut. A kitchen without people is a kitchen that tells no story. A kitchen that doesn’t make mistakes, doesn’t feel, doesn’t get its hands dirty — is just a silent, sterile canteen. To embrace AI without losing the human meaning of cooking means rethinking our relationship with food, with work, with time. And with the idea of taste, which is not just the result of a formula — but the expression of a culture.
AI may also suggest new paths to us. But we will always be the ones to decide which one to take. And this, perhaps, is the true recipe for the future.