For some time now, artificial intelligence (AI) has been everywhere, and all industries are interested in how AI systems can improve their field. Gastronomy also begins to wonder how far the car is capable of reaching. A clear proof of this is the fight he organized on Thursday night pizza, in Barcelona. This pizzeria, known for its artisanal pizzas with high-quality products (10 locations in Spain), wanted to challenge the ChatGPT system by asking it to create a pizza recipe with ingredients that Catalan diners might like. at the event titled Pizza CombatPizza master Lolo Lorenzo and innovation consultant Matthias Schneider gambled on a new pizzeria recipe. The event will be repeated on February 9 at Can Pizza on Calle Serrano in Madrid.
The idea of a new fight, which is not the first to be organized in this restaurant, arose during a conversation between Isaac Aliaga, the co-founder of Can Pizza, and Schneider, an AI specialist. So they wondered how far artificial intelligence could successfully enter the kitchen. With this curiosity, they challenged themselves to get a new pizza on the menu, which should emerge from the confrontation of the AI chat, which would be managed by Schneider, and the team’s suggestion. pizza makers Led by Lolo Lorenzo.
Data on ingredients, tastes, age groups, consumer trends or best-selling pizzas were taken into account to prepare the recipe of the AI team. After a few questions to determine a recipe Barcelona diners would like, Schneider’s interviewer suggested a pizza baked with mozzarella, shiitake mushrooms, sobrasada and Parmesan, topped with goat cheese, pine nut, honey and coriander pesto and lime.
Lorenzo’s proposal wanted to reach the roots that made Can Pizza’s pizzas famous – his Jerry Tomato is considered the best pizza of 2022 according to the Madrid Fusión competition – and he created a recipe based on ragu, onions and pickled carrots, fresh celery . and Parmesan cheese in thick slices. Alessio Geromel, director of Can Pizza Universitat, said that he is “not in favor of machines in the kitchen”, that this event is only to see “how it can affect” the recovery.
After trying both pizzas, diners at the event voted and Can Pizza was named the winner. While most recognized that IA’s recipe was rich and an amazing combination of ingredients, including sobrasada as a nod to the local community, the devotion to ragu and homemade pickles won the majority of votes. Attendees were also able to make their requests to the machine at this point for personalized pizzas based on the flavors or ingredients offered. The pizzeria shared a video online where the AI recipe competes with its Jerry Tomato recipe, and El Comidista creator Mikel Iturriaga doesn’t hesitate to choose Can Pizza again.
It’s too early for an AI chef
“In gastronomy, we’re starting to see different applications of artificial intelligence,” says Schneider, who admits that at the moment they’re based more on fringe issues than the kitchen itself. In other words, it’s too early for the machine to offer you a good new recipe, but its capabilities could be used to write a letter in an original way or to prepare visually appealing dishes using an image AI system. Of course, maybe the offer is very nice, but it is practically impossible, he admits. This consultant says that we are at the beginning of the possibilities of artificial intelligence, but “it can help to inspire and fertilize new gastronomic proposals”.
In creative industries, perhaps in gastronomy, AI still struggles to deliver profitable results, especially in recipe preparation, because many elements are at stake to create a good dish: smells, tastes, textures, points of cooking, combinations… But it sees more potential in the fact that it has utility for food business management. For example, a machine is very effective at offering an alternative to a component. It can offer up to five butter substitutes, such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado puree, Greek yogurt and margarine. In addition, in each of these suggestions, he points out the characteristics that are most similar to butter. “Sometimes it surprises you,” Schneider reflects, “sometimes he’s naive and can even be a liar, but he can always help and inspire.”