You ever wonder what the emoji is for “steak, medium rare?”
Me neither. But if ChefStefs has their way, we may know soon.
That’s because the company has just launched the ability to cook with its Joule sous vide machine using Facebook Messenger. The new capability is part of a broader “Conversational Cooking” initiative that incorporates natural language interfaces such as Amazon Alexa (ChefSteps launched their Alexa skill last fall) and now, more recently, the Facebook Messenger bot framework.
ChefSteps describes a vision of “Conversational Cooking” where “the kitchen of the future as a place where the tools are smart, the conversation is natural and lively, and the food is amazing. Where ingredients, recipes, and fellow cooks are only a text bubble — or a voice command — away.”
The company doesn’t plan on stopping with Alexa or Facebook Messenger, either.
According to the Medium post from ChefSteps, “Conversational Cooking isn’t about a single website; it’s about offering options that fit naturally into people’s lives. It’s about talking to them in a human way, through familiar interfaces. Hate Facebook? Control Joule with the app or Alexa — or the app and Alexa. We’ll be adding new services as fast as we can to create a seamless experience that works on your terms.”
The concept of AI-driven bots tailored for the smart home and the smart kitchen is one that is likely to gain steam in 2017. It was just last December when Mark Zuckerberg unveiled his own smart home AI called Jarvis, which also utilized the Facebook Messenger bot framework as a simple control and interaction layer.
So it looks like 2017’s AI invasion of the kitchen won’t just be about Alexa and Google Home. Facebook’s Messenger bot may have a little something to say to us as well.
And one of those things might just be telling us when our steak is a perfect medium rare.
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