AI chef paints a future with self-running kitchens

Pot stirring and oven checking could soon be a thing of the past.

While I do enjoy cooking, trying to figure out cooking-related instructions after a long day isn’t something I want to do, and I imagine many others feel the same way.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, I learned that thanks to AI, this might soon be a problem of the past.

Chef AI, a company that uses artificial intelligence to simplify everyday cooking, presented its autonomous cooking technology to a curious audience.

The company demonstrated a prototype that could, in the future, cook your meals according to your preferences without your intervention. The device looks like a microwave but has no buttons or screens and is controlled via an app. It can cook, air fry, bake, heat up, and even boil all kinds of foods.

According to the company’s representatives, the gadget would know how a certain type of food should be cooked and automatically set the time and temperature.

Despite the device not having any settings, users can set their food preparation preferences. For example, if you wish to cook a medium-rare steak, you only have to select the option from a menu. The app also has a feedback system through which the device learns how a user likes their food.

One thing that caught my eye was that while it prepares food in many different ways, the device seems too small to make larger dishes. During the presentation, I learned that the Chef AI innovation is still under development, so the final product might look different.

The device is expected to cost around $450 as its creators want the appliance to be affordable and used by many.