AI chef takes over five-star restaurant but it won’t do the cooking

An AI chef has taken charge of a five-star restaurant in Dubai, ahead of its launch later this year. However, it won’t be the one that is cooking. 

AI – artificial intelligence – has been used in a number of different fields over the years. It’s been used in car manufacturing for quite some time, pairing with robots to replace humans when it comes to installing doors and even welding other parts together. 

It has also started making its way into kitchens. There are robo-kitchens out there where all the food is prepared by a bot without much, or any, help from humans. 

Now, a five-star restaurant in Dubai is taking things another step further, using AI to curate its menu. But don’t worry, it won’t be the one cooking your meal.

Chef Aiman set to run Dubai’s WOOHOO restaurant

That’s right, WOOHOO, a restaurant that is opening in Dubai in September, is going to start using AI to take point on its menu, figuring out service, and deciding on the vibe of things. It would make Richie totally pointless in The Bear, basically. 

According to Ahmet Oytun Cakir, one of WOOHOO’s founders, the aptly named Aiman is “trained on decades of food science research, molecular composition data and over a thousand recipes from cooking traditions around the world.”

As per Reuters, WOOHOO will be based in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa, so you’ll probably end up seeing some wild technological advances while you wait for your technologically advanced meal. 

Oh, and it has its own Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube accounts. 

As Chef Aiman won’t be doing any of the food prep or chopping up pieces of your meal, it will still need humans to operate. 

“Human cooking will not be replaced, but we believe (Aiman) will elevate the ideas, creativity,” Oytun Cakir, one of the creators, told Reuters.

If incredibly fine dining isn’t your thing, McDonald’s has also started using AI to make things “less stressful” for customers and staff at over 40,000 restaurants.