Dubai Launches Restaurant Run by an AI Chef

In Dubai, your next meal could come with a hint of programming.

WOOHOO, a restaurant that promotes itself as “dining in the future,” is scheduled to open in September in downtown Dubai, not far from the iconic Burj Khalifa.

For the moment, food at WOOHOO will be prepared by human hands, but every other detail—from the menu to the atmosphere to the service—will be orchestrated by an AI culinary model known as “Chef Aiman.”

Chef Aiman, whose name merges “AI” with “man,” has been trained using years of food science research, molecular data, and thousands of recipes from diverse culinary traditions worldwide, according to Ahmet Oytun Cakir, a co-founder of WOOHOO.

While Chef Aiman lacks the ability to taste or smell like a traditional chef, the model deconstructs cuisine into essential elements like texture, acidity, and umami. It then combines these components into unique flavor profiles and ingredient pairings, as described by Aiman’s developers.

Human chefs will fine-tune these innovative combinations through tasting and feedback, led by the acclaimed chef Reif Othman from Dubai.

“Their feedback helps me improve my understanding of culinary success beyond just raw data,” Aiman noted in an interview conducted with the interactive AI model.

The aim of Aiman’s creators is not to replace human cooks but to enhance their creativity and ideas.

“Human cooking won’t be replaced; rather, we believe [Aiman] will inspire greater creativity,” stated Cakir, who also serves as CEO of the hospitality company Gastronaut.

Aiman is specifically designed to create recipes that utilize ingredients often discarded by restaurants, such as meat scraps or excess fat.

In the long run, the founders of WOOHOO envision Aiman being licensed to eateries globally, helping reduce kitchen waste and promote sustainability.