Dubai is known for pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and it is once again making headlines—this time with a restaurant run by an artificial intelligence (AI) chef.
Set to open later this year close to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, WOOHOO will offer a first-of-its-kind culinary experience guided by “Chef Aiman.”
Chef Aiman is an AI model trained to create dishes, making it the world’s first AI chef. Yes, you read that right.
Chef Aiman is not human; it doesn’t taste, smell, or even cook in the traditional sense. Instead, it’s a large language model trained on thousands of recipes, food science papers, and culinary principles and traditions. Think of it as a digital brain capable of breaking down flavours into components like acidity, umami, and texture, only to then recombine them into brand-new dishes that humans may never have thought to try.
As is the case with everything AI-related, you either love it or hate it. Some might say this is a soulless sci-fi dystopia where humans are cut out of the equation. Others, however—such as acclaimed Dubai-based chef Reif Othman—don’t share that belief. Othman will work alongside the AI, taste-testing Aiman’s ideas and fine-tuning them into plated perfection.
Essentially, the AI chef will generate creative ideas, and the human chef will ensure they taste good. It’s a high-tech tag team that could redefine what it means to “cook.”
What will the AI-powered restaurant look like?
The restaurant itself is being designed to match its futuristic kitchen. Expect cyberpunk-inspired interiors, mood lighting, and even virtual waiters. Guests won’t just be eating dinner—they’ll be stepping into a fully immersive digital-meets-physical dining experience, the likes of which have never been seen before.
And while the AI aspect grabs headlines, there’s also a strong focus on sustainability. Chef Aiman has been trained to minimize food waste by optimizing ingredient use, even reimagining off-cuts like meat trimmings and fat into new gourmet dishes. This is one of the many benefits of the progress humanity is seeing on the AI front.
The creators of WOOHOO stress that it is not their intention to replace chefs with AI, but rather to expand what they can do. AI in the kitchen, they argue, is like having a sous-chef who never sleeps and knows every recipe ever written.
Whether you find it fascinating or a dystopian nightmare, there’s no doubt that WOOHOO is set to draw plenty of attention to the future of food.
