It is no longer science fiction, it is a palpable reality that does not therefore need lasting sustainable development to consolidate what are still prototypes.
The American IT firm IBM, which already left the world of personal computers behind, before its entry into decline, and dedicated entirely to consulting and technology R&D, are trying to carry out with the “Watson supercomputer” an advance in your creativity.
Watson, It is the paradigm of artificial intelligence, and in its current role it has been programmed to process infinite mixtures of ingredients and thus achieve “unthinkable” recipes that are surprising for our tastes.
His first foray into the laboratory in true style “Masterchef“, Made him sharpen his process capacity to develop hundreds of innovative combinations of products to make” rolls “or” burritos “composed of:
- Dark chocolate.
- Bean sprouts.
- Edam.
- Meat
- Apricot
The development of this elaboration revealed the Cognitive ability to create something, not to solve a problem.
Among his popular creations, Watson treasures endless recipes:
- A lobster appetizer with basil
- Crispy pork dish.
- Saffron sauce and piquillo peppers.
They seem like simple creations, but if we move away from the human conception of the creator of the recipe and frame it solely as a creative idea of a machine, we are before the paradigm of the possibility that artificial intelligence is already capable of “create with imagination“And”good taste“.
WatsonIt is not the popular “thermomix” or the latest invention of a multinational appliance company where pouring ingredients is all the effort to create a dish. He is a virtual “chef” who innovates and invents recipes, based on his previously fed knowledge of flavors, ingredients and products with their characteristics and above all human psychology.
Thus, we are not dealing with a recipe replicator or a dish maker but with a “culinary artist”, as described by one of those responsible for the company’s engineering project and also a graduate in culinary arts. Florian Pinel:
“To make a dish there are thousands of billions or trillions of possible combinations. Watson processes them all and only picks the most interesting ones. “
In its programming, it is not necessary to emphasize the hours dedicated, they are obvious, above all, value must be given to its learning and generation of its Database through 30.000 recipes, ingredients, nutritional information, all seasoned with the most sophisticated algorithms that will mark your steps in the making.
In his creative process, he must understand and learn from the problem that he has to solve, save and record that knowledge and start exporting ideas that must also sift them based on the criteria of knowledge and human tastes in order to segment them and opt for the most successful ones. the same as original.
A machine in the kitchen
Surprising !, but true, Watson It is not an idea, it is already a reality in the kitchen that has come to stay, or in its case to feed new inventions that help all professionals in the hospitality sector and lovers of culinary creation to prepare.
Outside of this literature, the reality is that it is not autonomous by itself, yet … It is not a robot, with a metallic structure, nor does it have articulated arms or ultrasound voice, nor does it cut or cook.
It is a generator of ideas for teachers to develop and elaborate. Proof of this is that the company has been collaborating with “chefs” from ICE (Institute Culinary Education of NY), one of the most prestigious cooking schools in America.
From the first steps that showed suggestions of ingredients to mix, the measurement and analysis of the ingredients as well as their ideal quantities for each creation has already been reached.
The most interesting thing right now is the creative capacity of the project collaborators, demonstrating their skills in interpreting the guidelines set by Watson, so that they can definitely develop the recipe, physically and conceptually.
In the words of the director of the training center James Briscione, and in turn R&D chef, director of culinary development at ICE and chief chef of the experiments, he told us:
The most surprising recipe was the moussaka bacon with peas, peppers, dill and Swiss cheese; the one he liked the most, the lobster cap; and the one that had the most success among the public, a variant of the judge Catalan with cocoa, black pepper, coconut milk and honey.
This is a tool for chefs of incalculable value not in price but in helping the source of inspiration and at the same time accumulating the accumulated knowledge base for the perfect combination of ingredients.
Health is what counts
The real intention of the prototype is to be able to reach a beta version capable of being marketable, so that it collaborates with chefs in improving food, nutrition and health, without losing originality and creativity. GlaxoSmithKline, have knocked on the door of the American giant IBM, to seek collaboration links in medical prescription, and nutritional diagnoses, since we are facing a computer capable of positively influencing people’s health.
¡Larga vida to Watson!