AI moves to the heart of gastronomy: GOe Tech Center analyses its real impact in 20 key insights
Artificial intelligence has become a real engine of transformation for gastronomy, enabling scenarios that once seemed unimaginable. Today there are tools capable of predicting whether a flavour will be liked before it is cooked, creating bean-free coffee with sensory properties similar to the original, or producing plant-based “cheese” or “honey” developed through AI without using milk or bees. Other advances aim to design snacks whose aromas are generated through regenerative models, reduce kitchen waste before it occurs, manage supermarkets in real time through demand forecasting, or optimise menus by considering costs and available resources.
With the goal of analysing how digitalisation and artificial intelligence are reconfiguring the food sector, GOe Tech Center — the gastronomy technology centre of Basque Culinary Center — has launched “Gastronom_IA: Artificial Intelligence and Food in 20 Keys,” a report that shows how these technological disruptions are influencing what we eat and how we eat, and above all provides tools to identify opportunities and risks for chefs, companies and institutions.
Rather than focusing on futuristic prototypes or distant promises, the analysis concentrates on current innovations that reflect a structural shift in the way food is produced, cooked and conceived.
The report was presented by Erich Eichstetter, Head of Digital Transformation at GOe Tech Center, within the framework of AI Bites, a conference held at GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem to explore how artificial intelligence is already impacting culinary creativity, the management of food businesses and the design of new food experiences. The event brought together professionals from innovation, technology and gastronomy to address key issues such as the application of generative AI in the sector, process automation, performance optimisation and the role of the human factor in innovation processes, positioning the report as a strategic tool for understanding and anticipating this transformation.
The report is not a catalogue of technologies or a futuristic exercise. It is a map for strategic decision-making that shows how AI and digitalisation influence every level of the sector, from food production to consumption, including health and sustainability. Artificial intelligence is increasingly involved in design phases, determining what is cultivated, how a product is formulated, how fermentations are modelled or what is recommended to eat according to health profiles and sustainability criteria. In this way, algorithms are no longer just support tools but actors that shape decisions, creating opportunities to anticipate trends but also risks if adopted without conscious criteria.
The report also highlights a silent yet inevitable shift: data is becoming a new gastronomic ingredient. It is no longer just a management support but an element that impacts flavour, nutrition and food culture. Recommendation systems, virtual sensory panels and predictive models are beginning to define what is considered “good”, “healthy” or “authentic”, giving an advantage to those who turn data into useful knowledge to innovate in products, menus and gastronomic experiences. This transformation enables new ways of preserving gastronomic identities and reinterpreting traditions, but also poses the risk of taste homogenisation and loss of diversity under optimised criteria.
The report shows that the most effective AI applications are those that are integrated transversally and almost invisibly into existing processes. Examples such as fermentation digital twins, intelligent traceability, lower-footprint menu optimisation or demand-prediction systems demonstrate that the real value of AI lies not in its spectacular nature but in its ability to connect kitchen, industry, health and sustainability in everyday practice. Digital transformation also changes who makes decisions in the sector: predictive systems and AI agents redefine decision-making — from personalised nutrition to purchase recommendations — requiring conscious governance to avoid passively handing over professional autonomy to technological platforms.
Gastronom_IA organises this vision into 20 key insights covering different areas of impact in gastronomy and food. In culinary innovation and chef-researchers, it includes algorithm-rewritten cheeses, culinary copilots and AI-generated flavours. In sensory analysis and consumption patterns, it presents digital kitchens and virtual panels that anticipate preferences and optimise menus. AI is also applied to gastronomic identity and territorial development, connecting knowledge with place and offering alternative assistants and travel guides. In the food industry, supply chain and retail, intelligent traceability, trend prediction, AI in supermarkets and invisible agents operating behind foodtech stand out, as well as the possibility of cooking at home with algorithms. Predictive bioprocesses explore modelled fermentations and digital twins for crops and terroir. In sustainability and circular economy, it proposes lower-waste restaurants, lower-footprint menus and biodegradable packaging. Finally, in health, personalised nutrition and microbiota, food is conceived as medicine and AI helps design healthier, more personalised diets.
“Can you open a business today without electricity or internet? Yes — but it would be almost unthinkable. The same is true for artificial intelligence: those who adopt it strategically gain decision-making capacity and competitive advantage; those who ignore it or use it without a strategy fall behind. The challenge is not to avoid it, but to learn how to use it knowledgeably and consciously,” explains Erich Eichstetter.
Experts and interdisciplinary collaboration
The report includes contributions from leading figures applying AI in gastronomy, data science, nutrition, technology and sustainability. Eneko Axpe (PhD in Physics, researcher in sustainability and gastrophysics), Michael Wolf (founder of The Spoon and creator of international events such as Smart Kitchen Summit, SKS Japan, CES Food Tech and The Food AI Summit), Alexandra Papadopoulos (Strategy & Ops Leader and startup founder at Velada), Beatriz Laskurain (professor at Mondragon Unibertsitatea and digital strategy consultant), Ekaitz Esteban Echeverria (researcher and lecturer in food science and technology at Basque Culinary Center), Beatriz Romanos (food innovation specialist), Diego Coquillat (CEO of Grupo Diego Coquillat), Diego Piedra (software developer and researcher at GOe Tech Center) and Javier Campión (PhD and coordinator of the Health and Gastronomy Area at GOe Tech Center) provide real implementation experiences and reflections on the ethical and strategic challenges of this transformation.
Gastronom_IA shows that AI is already driving real changes in gastronomy and food, integrating into everyday processes to amplify creativity, sustainability and health. Explore the full report and discover how these 20 key insights are redefining the gastronomy of the future — before the rest of the industry does.