
I Let IBM’s Watson Tell Me What to Cook for a Week - quantisan
https://medium.com/how-we-get-to-next/i-let-ibm-s-robot-chef-tell-me-what-to-cook-for-a-week-d881fc884748
======
Tangokat
_" And, in essence, this kind of sums up Watson for me. You need to tinker
with it a bit before you can find something usable."_

I think this is the most interesting part. Watson seems to work WITH you
rather than for you.

Presently it appears to work very well as an inspiration and suggests things
that are so far out you would never come up with them yourself. An example is
the radish, cod, ginger, olives, tomato and green onions pizza.

I would've loved a bit more focus on what other people thought though. I got
the impression that the writer was a bit biased to love the dishes before he
tried them.

~~~
iamcreasy
"Watson seems to work WITH you rather than for you."

Absolutely right, and that interaction is the most interesting part. This also
reminds me a talk about Palantir at GovCon. The speaker tells us two stories.

The first story was about Advanced Chess. We know that human and computer both
are good at chess for two very different reasons. We also know they these
skills can complement each other. So in Advanced Chess, instead of playing
against each other, human and computer form a single team and fight against
another team.

It's easy to think that if we take the single strongest chess player and the
single most powerful computer, they might dominate the tournament. But that
didn't happen. The team that won the tournament was a modestly skilled chess
player with a regular laptop running freely available open source chess tools.
So how did this happen?

It turned out there was a third factor nobody consider. It was the quality of
interface between the man and the machine. How easy it is for a human to
develop the strategic oversight, the guidance and to rely on the computer for
tactical component. Focusing on, on what they are individually good at.

The second story is about Paypal. At the time of Paypal, several other
companies were trying to get involve in online payment industry. The other
companies were CitiBank, eBay, Western Union. But one by one they folded back
where the Paypal succeeded. What happened?

It turns out large corporations were trying to develop a better system to
automatically verify transactions. But Paypal went the other way around. They
tried to increase the effectiveness of their human analyst by providing better
computing service. Everything on the computing side was to empower/help the
analyst to explore his data faster, detect anomalies and to make a
quick/better decision. It's the man not the machine that had the final
decision in Paypal.

I think the core idea of these two stories is how differently can we use our
computing power, and how we are doing so far. I think most solutions are
trying to develop a set of fixed answers, and hoping their answer are better
then their competitors. But I think, it should be the other way around.

Computers are here to assist us. The design of a system should not be reaching
a fixed the goal, instead it should help us; acting as a guide providing
necessary information helping to make an informed decision. And if used
properly, human can already attain superpower.

And I am really curious to see how IBM Watson fits into this bill!

~~~
vtail
You mentioned Palantir's talk at GovCon. Do you know if it's available online?

~~~
iamcreasy
Yes it is available on YouTube. Here :
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f86VKjFSMJE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f86VKjFSMJE)

He tells us the stories within the first 10 minutes. In the following 10
minutes, he talks about what how Palantir's software fit into the picture.

And in the last 20 minutes, he demonstrates the software as an intelligence
officer, who is tracking some bad guy across multiple countries. Information
have been fed to the software by informants. And now he job is to organize
those information into patterns, and trying to come up with a hypothesis about
what these bad guys are doing, and what they will do in the future. Finally he
shared his hypothesis with his colleagues.

Just like Advance Chess, they are trying to reduce friction between data and
the data analyst.

------
pridkett
I work on the team that designed and built Chef Watson, both the current app
that is available at
[https://www.ibmchefwatson.com/](https://www.ibmchefwatson.com/) and the food
truck that we had at SXSW 2014. If you have questions about the technology or
Watson stuff in general, such as the IBM Watson Developer Cloud, let me know
and I'll attempt to answer them or track down the right person to answer them.
As it is a holiday weekend here in the United States, if I need to track down
someone for an answer it might take a couple of days - so I'm not hiding, it
just might take a bit of time.

~~~
feefie
If Medical Watson works for and is paid by cancer hospitals, does that affect
Chef Watson's recommendations (either in a positive way, to keep us healthy,
or in a negative way due to the profit incentive)? In other words, do the
various Watson implementations have any shared data or code base that could
influence the other? I assume not, but how cool would that be?

~~~
pridkett
That's a really interesting idea, but that's incredibly advanced thinking and
would require some pretty wicked engineering.

Most of the different Watson tools share various code elements - for example,
we're not writing a new system natural language processing, entity
recognition, and relationship extraction for each tool. Watson technologies,
however, are designed so they work inside of a particular domain or with a
specific corpus. So, the work with MD Anderson
([http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/news-releases/2013/ibm-
wa...](http://www.mdanderson.org/newsroom/news-releases/2013/ibm-watson-to-
power-moon-shots-.html)) has a nearly 100% separate data set from Chef Watson
with Bon Appétit. I say nearly 100% separate data set because there are some
common data sets derived from publicly available sources (e.g. wikipedia) that
may be used by both systems.

One of the other challenges is who the systems are designed for. Although
anyone can use Chef Watson, it's not designed with everyone in mind. We've
realized that the people with the best experiences are a little bit
adventurous when it comes to cooking - they'll play around and improvise with
flavors to create new recipes. This is a different demographic than would
likely be using the health care system (doctors and care providers).

------
gus_massa
> _You may need to make a “do I want to put mashed potato on this lasagne?”
> leap of faith, and you’re going to have to actually go with it if you want
> the app’s full benefit._

I didn't try it, but I don't think it so strange. Here in Argentina we eat
something slightly similar: "pastel de papas"
[http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastel_de_papa](http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastel_de_papa)
. I really like it. (It's very similar to "cottage pie"
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_pie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_pie)
)

~~~
tikhonj
I've actually made something very similar myself, as an experiment: a basic
baked pasta dish with ground beef, tomato sauce sour cream and so on (lasagna
in all but the shape of the pasta, really), with mashed sweet potatoes thrown
in.

And it was pretty good! Fundamentally, I don't see why it couldn't have been
_great_ in the hands of a better chef.

Besides this sort of experimentation is how you make interesting, unique
dishes. It's a lot of fun.

~~~
wlievens
Sweet potatoes are more akin to pumpkin than to ordinary potatoes, I think. In
that sense they function as half vegetable, half starch source.

------
BoppreH
I had no idea Watson was being used for recipes. It reminded me of the genetic
algorithm recipes from xkcd ([https://xkcd.com/720/](https://xkcd.com/720/)).

I wonder what else can Watson suggest. Vacations? Clothes? Gadgets? ... Dates?

This has so much potential it's not even funny. Computer inference plus human
common sense seems like a match made in heaven, and dissipates some of the
Skynet-scenario fears.

Go Watson!

~~~
pridkett
If you'd like to get an idea about the different ways people are using Watson
Technologies, check out some of the Watson Ecosystem Partners
([http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/ibmwatson/ecosystem.h...](http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/ibmwatson/ecosystem.html)).
There's a variety of partners that aren't listed on our partners page, in
particular you mentioned Vacations, so you might be interested in WayBlazer
([http://wayblazer.com/](http://wayblazer.com/)), a new company founded by
Terry Jones - former CEO of Travelocity.com and founding chairman of
Kayak.com.

The big thing with Watson is that it works _with_ people to make them smarter,
rather than replacing people. Watson isn't designed to be a single global AI
system that will enslave us (well, at least not yet), rather it's designed to
be trained so it can go in depth on various topics to make humans smarter at
their jobs - whether that's medicine, finance, travel, cooking, or who knows
what else.

------
CrazyCatDog
Ibm still doesn't understand mobile... Great write up, I went to the site and
tried to sign up for beta access to Watson chef, only to have the Watson chef
website tell me that they don't support my screen resolution for sign-ups...
[http://imgur.com/O5n8rZU](http://imgur.com/O5n8rZU). Edit: I'm using an
iphone5s

~~~
dombili
It would've been great to have this available on mobile too. Do they expect
people to cook next to their computers? Phones/tablets are _the_ device to use
in the kitchen for this sort of thing.

------
Hello71
[https://xkcd.com/720/](https://xkcd.com/720/)

------
zhte415
As an amateur cook avid to try new things, I was extremely disappointed to see
a Facebook or IBM account is required to access Chef Watson. I don't have a
Facebook account.

No registration would be best, but email / OpenID or even other OAuth
authenticators such as Twitter would be nice.

~~~
mintplant
What's wrong with signing up for an IBM account, then? It seems like it'd be
the same as email registration, only using their existing infrastructure
rather than rewriting it for Chef Watson.

------
jkestner
Counterpoint: [http://www.fastcodesign.com/3045147/ibms-watson-designed-
the...](http://www.fastcodesign.com/3045147/ibms-watson-designed-the-worst-
burrito-ive-ever-had)

Applying Watson to recipes is brilliant marketing, period.

~~~
pridkett
The ironic thing about that burrito (it's the Austrian Chocolate Burrito, for
those of you with the cookbook at home), is that it was designed on a very
early version of the system that required significant help from a professional
chef. At that point the system was mainly flavor pairings.

------
marincounty
"A disclaimer before we start: Chef Watson isn’t great at telling you when
stuff is actually ready and cooked."

"Yes, it's has great potential, but their are so many nuances that go into a
simple meal."

The right programming will probally eventually solve the problem, and AI will
replace chefs? I hope it doesn't progress that far though.

Maybe I'm the exception, but when I make myself a meal, these thoughts go
through my mind--sometimes(Most of the time I greatful there's food in front
of me.) but here goes:

Too much food is probally not healthy--obesity potential and believe in
calorie restriction. Did I get enough exercise in order to eat a big meal
today? I ate too much protein yesterday, I will cut back today. I will use a
little less salt tonight because I need to watch my blood pressure--especially
if stressed. Did I include enough fiber because the the medication I'm on is
affecting my digestion? Should I eat another portion of fish--the Mercury. Is
my date allergic to anything I am cooking, or they a vegan, vegetarian? Did I
wash the organic lettuce enough? Can I use all the milk in the recipe, my
roommate will not have enough for her Cheerios to tomorrow. Oh, and this
portion of ingredients I just pulled out of the frig. just doesn't look right,
and I don't want to take a chance on food poisoning.(The expiration date is
O.k., and it smells right, but there's something telling me to throw it out.
(I notice a cat I feed hovers over it's food sometimes, and doesn't eat the
perfectly good can of cat food. I sometimes think, he's not being just
finicky, and I'm not going to second guess a few million years of feline nasal
receptors; I will just give him a different can of the same food.)

I don't think like this over every meal, but sometimes these thoughts do run
through my mind occasionally. Sometimes I think I have a lot of unconscious
thought that affect my daily life? It's these nuances that, I think, hope--
differentiates humans from machines. In reality, AI does scare me becaucase I
think they will get all the kinks worked out, and there's not a day that goes
by that I don't think about the warning from Hawking's, Gates, and the Tesla
guy.

~~~
douche
> I ate too much protein yesterday

I can honestly say that's never a statement that has ever crossed my mind,
haha.

> Is my date allergic to anything I am cooking, or they a vegan, vegetarian?

This is incredibly frustrating. It seems like every single young woman has
bizarre food taboos that are based on no rational basis. The gluten-phobia
thing has gotten out of hand, but in general there is just so much food woo
going around.

~~~
sarahj
> It seems like every single young woman has bizarre food taboos that are
> based on no rational basis.

I'll ignore the blatant sexism.

As a young woman, although admittedly not single, who happens to be vegan I
really don't understand the point you are trying to make here.

I am vegan because I would rather not have had a sentient animal purposely
killed for my meal - and it is a decision I came to after years of thought and
consideration.

And yes, there is a growing trend of people caring what they put in their
bodies - whether it is noticing that caffeine after 2pm disturbs their sleep,
or that as they age they need to consider an increase in b12 or vitamin D -
the majority of these choices are very rational ones - I have yet to meet a
person whose diet choices fall out of the range of rationality - except,
perhaps, the excuses people give me for not cutting down the amount of <insert
foot they acknowledge they eat too much of> in their diet.

~~~
venomsnake
> I'll ignore the blatant sexism.

Stating a fact or observation is not sexist by itself. The anecdotal data
around me shows that the people with food intolerance and I won't eat X
because someone in the newspaper misinterpreted a study have a even number of
X chromosomes. To make sure there is balance - there is a lot of bronutrition
in the opposite direction.

> I have yet to meet a person whose diet choices fall out of the range of
> rationality

Any person that observes religious restrictions - that is not rational. Also
any person that refuses to eat X based on pseudo, improperly conducted or
improperly understood science.

> I am vegan because I would rather not have had a sentient animal purposely
> killed for my meal - and it is a decision I came to after years of thought
> and consideration.

That will push you only to vegetarian. To go vegan you need more reasons.

~~~
sarahj
I will agree that there is much ignorance in the world surrounding what we eat
and in science in general - however, as I said, when I talk to people who have
dietary restrictions they tend to have a sound, rational basis for them.

> That will push you only to vegetarian. To go vegan you need more reasons.

There are no animal products which do not involve the killing of sentient
creatures (if you doubt this I would suggest learning about the process by
which milk or eggs are farmed).

~~~
venomsnake
Sound and rational means peer reviewed paper ...

I spend the summers on a (nonindustrial) farm, have taken eggs directly from
under the hen, milked a cow, drank honey directly from the centrifuge and
slaughtered some chickens (funny) and pigs (meh). I am well accustomed to the
process.

Your vegan foodstuff also require the killing of sentient creatures - to grow
food we have displaced a lot of animals from their habitats. Sometimes quite
forcefully. So yeah - you probably have fewer animals on your conscience , but
you have some.

Edit:spelling

~~~
sarahj
> Sound and rational means peer reviewed paper

"My doctor has told me I should not take in as much potassium as I have been
so I am reducing my consumption of legumes" and "I have an ethical objection
to killing sentient creatures so I restrict my diet in ways that minimize such
killing"

Are both sound, rational judgements which do not require a peer reviewed
paper.

>You(sic) vegan foodstuff also require the killing of sentient creatures - to
grow food we have displaced a lot of animals from their habitats. Sometimes
quite forcefully. So yeah - you probably have fewer animals on your conscience
, but you have some.

I agree with you, completely - it is an uphill battle. It is very difficult to
not directly compensate the killing of creatures in a world that considers it
moral to kill 50+ billion animals every year (not including marine life) - but
my ethics require that I at least try.

~~~
venomsnake
> "My doctor has told me I should not take in as much potassium as I have been
> so I am reducing my consumption of legumes"

That is rational, also requires peered review paper somewhere in the chain.
The doctor read it and formulated advice based on it. Or at least that is the
way medicine works. I hope.

But is having ethical objection to killing rational itself? We become what we
are as being the better killers. Anytime, anywhere?

------
CoffeeDregs
Fantastic article. I've been hearing about Watson and food on NPR or on HN for
the last few months, but this article did a great job of detailing the
experience. My wife had signed me up to make dinner tonight. We're going to my
parents' place to hang out with them and with my brother's family. I think
I'll plop my laptop on the kitchen counter and have us play with Watson until
we find a fun and AI-ishly-weird recipe!

------
z3t4
I've made something similar but in Swedish:
[http://matsidan.com/](http://matsidan.com/)

What goes well with what is based on around 5k recipes.

Haven't worked on it for some time though, kinda got stuck. What I'm trying to
solve is to make it easier to make a weekly food plan and grocery list.

------
gexla
It won't allow me to create variations of pot brownies. Marijuana isn't an
available ingredient. IBM? Fix?

------
fragsworth
I'd like to use Watson too. How do you get access to the API? How much does it
cost?

The website for it is pretty vague.

~~~
saltylicorice
It's pretty easy to sign up at
[https://www.ibmchefwatson.com/](https://www.ibmchefwatson.com/)

It's free, and there's a pretty decent web UI once you're logged in.

~~~
jadeddrag
I could be wrong, but I think the previous poster was asking about getting API
access to Watson itself, not the cooking site.

~~~
r_edwards
[http://www.ibm.com/watsondevelopercloud](http://www.ibm.com/watsondevelopercloud)

------
imh
I want to see them do this for cocktails too!

In related news, I asked it to make me something with: beer, whiskey, vodka,
wine, tequila,cognac, sherry,gin,triple sec,bitters, champagne, merlot, pinot
noir

And I'm actually curious to try it!

~~~
pridkett
There's a few cocktail recipes in the system if you know how to haze it well
enough. Unfortunately, Watson tends to _really_ like bacon in cocktails as it
can easily connect a multitude of flavors (sweet through carmelization, salty
through the curing, meaty, etc). It's always a bit of a buzzkill for folks
with dietary restrictions. Chapter 7 in the "Cognitive Cooking with Chef
Watson" cookbook as a few recipes.

~~~
ianamartin
What is unfortunate about bacon?

------
throwawayaway
Really glad to see anthropomorphism like this becoming justifiable in everyday
life. The move away from anthropocentrism will usher in a new era of
understanding of our surroundings and fellow beings.

------
fredsted
Luckily the author seems like he isn't too afraid of trying new things. I know
a lot of people that would refuse to eat any of those things.

~~~
colindean
It takes a bit of "free your mind" and sometimes a lot of water.

Source: IBMer who has had a good bit of Chef Watson food. Favorite: Austrian
Chocolate Burrito.

------
dsugarman
tldr: everything tastes great with lots of butter and salt.

seriously, an interesting article and I would love to work with watson in the
kitchen, but it obviously sounds like watson leans on butter and salt too
heavily to make dishes delicious.

~~~
jimmaswell
It's a true point, though.

------
commentard
I tried watson too, but it told me I needed to hire 30 "IBM" chefs at 2000USD
each per day, but instead of top chefs they sent a team direct from the
subcontinent who were being paid 100USD each per day who had never ever
cooked.

~~~
douche
bahahaha. Too true.

------
tantalor
"robot"

~~~
wanda
"wiseness"

------
0xdeadbeefbabe
I volunteer to eat whatever chef watson cooks _for_ me.

