In Dubai, your dinner experience might soon come with an intriguing blend of culinary innovation and cutting-edge technology. WOOHOO, a restaurant positioning itself as “dining in the future,” is slated to open its doors in September in central Dubai, located just a short distance from the iconic Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
While the food at WOOHOO will, for now, be assembled by humans, every other aspect of the dining experience—from the menu composition to the overall ambiance and service—will be meticulously designed by a culinary large-language-model named “Chef Aiman.”
Aiman, a name derived from a portmanteau of “AI” and “man,” has been extensively trained on decades of food science research, molecular composition data, and a vast collection of over a thousand recipes spanning diverse cooking traditions from around the globe, according to Ahmet Oytun Cakir, one of WOOHOO’s founders.
Aiman’s developers explain that while Chef Aiman lacks the human senses of taste and smell and cannot physically interact with dishes, the model operates by dissecting cuisine into its fundamental components, such as texture, acidity, and umami. It then intelligently reassembles these elements into novel and often unusual flavor and ingredient combinations.
These AI-generated culinary prototypes are subsequently refined by human cooks who taste the combinations and provide expert guidance. This crucial human touch is led by the renowned Dubai-based chef Reif Othman. In an interview conducted with the interactive AI model, Aiman articulated, “Their responses to my suggestions help refine my understanding of what works beyond pure data.”
Aiman’s creators emphasize that their ultimate goal is not to displace the human element of cooking but rather to enhance and complement it. “Human cooking will not be replaced, but we believe [Aiman] will elevate the ideas, creativity,” stated Oytun Cakir, who also serves as chief executive of the hospitality company Gastronaut.
Cakir further elaborated that Aiman is specifically designed to develop recipes that creatively repurpose ingredients often discarded by restaurants, such as meat trimmings or fat. Looking ahead, WOOHOO’s founders envision that Aiman’s technology could be licensed to restaurants worldwide, potentially leading to a significant reduction in kitchen waste and a notable improvement in sustainability practices across the culinary industry.
