For anybody who has struggled to pull together a grocery list or plan a week of family meals, the promise of assistance from artificial intelligence is downright appetising.
AI can make dull, time-consuming tasks a breeze, and nutrition experts who understand the emerging technology are enthusiastic. But they season their enthusiasm with more than a dash of caution.
โThese tools are really good at giving you what you ask for, as long as you know what youโre asking for,โ said Raul Palacios, director of the Didactic Programme in Dietetics at Texas Tech University in the United States.
Palacios is a registered dietitian nutritionist who teaches about AI and regularly uses AI interfaces, called chatbots, for all kinds of tasks. Professionally, AI has streamlined his work with meal plans.
At home, he has taken pictures of what is in his pantry and refrigerator, uploaded them and asked, โBased on the ingredients I have on hand right now, what can I make for a family of four?โ