Eneko Atxa has taken Madrid Fusión into the future with his experience of artificial intelligence applied to haute cuisine. The chef of Azurmendi*** (Larrabetzu) shared the stage with the Silicon Valley-based Basque physicist Eneko Axpe, to explain how AI can be "another tool in the kitchen to help us be more precise and efficient", as Atxa explained.

Wondering what would happen if a menu was created entirely by a non-human intelligence, Axpe contacted Eneko Atxa to challenge him to execute four recipes generated by Chat GPT 4.0. The physicist first asked the AI for the name of a haute cuisine dish, then for a photo and finally for a recipe to prepare it. The problems arose in the execution, "the textures did not come out as expected or the flavours were not at all appetising", the chef admitted.

For Axpe, the next step was clear: "Interact with the AI, work with it, ask it as if it were one of the team.” It is at this point that the Basque chef, who was initially "a little reluctant", begins to appreciate the possibilities offered by AI, because "it can offer very precise things when we ask it for solutions", he admits. Tools that can be very useful in cases such as "adapting recipes to certain allergies or intolerances, or being able to replace ingredients with others that are more sustainable."

Atxa and Axpe put AI to the test by perfecting a Basque dessert, a carolina. A recipe that Eneko had struggled to communicate to the team, but which he was able to perfect with the help of the AI. At Azurmendi, "AI is now just another tool to work with, helping us to be more efficient without fear of losing the essence of who we are”. This was confirmed by the physicist, who assured that "AI will not replace humans, but with AI we humans will be able to offer something more".