‘AI cannot taste the way a chef can’: are chatbots a threat to fine dining?

Artificial intelligence could take personalized service a new, possibly sinister level - but can it really replace a chef?

In the world of ultra-fine dining, service must run like clockwork. A team of specialists work together to create a seamless experience for customers from the point of booking reservations to the time the check is paid. Host, server, food runner, sommelier and dining room manager attend to - and even anticipate - guests' needs with unflinching poise. When it works well, customers feel cared for and pampered.

It's time-consuming work to pay such attention to detail, and early advocates of artificial intelligence (AI) say that software could automize the most tedious parts of the job. Let workers focus on the food and service, they say. Others wonder if it will erode time-honed traditions in kitchens and dining rooms. So when considering the question of how AI might affect haute cuisine, it depends on who you ask.