From ChatGPT to Sora and from the 'Hundred-Model War' to the widespread application of AI across industries, artificial intelligence has already demonstrated immense commercial potential in some sectors due to technological breakthroughs. However, in others, AI penetration remains challenging. Chinese cuisine, with its intricate processes and heavy reliance on the personal skills of chefs, has long been a difficult frontier for AI to conquer.
Yet, technological progress has always been about serving people. In the field of kitchen AI, wan AIChef is emerging as a game-changer.
At the 2024 AGIC Shenzhen (International) General Artificial Intelligence Conference on August 28 (referred to as the 'Conference'), wan AIChef unveiled its flagship product, the wan AIChef Kitchen Intelligence System. This fully AI-powered system, equipped with wan AIChef’s proprietary cooking model, not only intelligently recognizes ingredients but also enables one-step cooking.
"Black Tech" Disrupts the Traditional Kitchen Appliance Industry
"We firmly believe that products transform in every era," said Wang Ning, Director of Operations at wan AIChef, during a conversation with the media.
Four years ago, wan AIChef began exploring solutions to dining-related challenges, aiming to break through the limitations of traditional kitchen appliances. After four years of development, consulting over 100 renowned Chinese chefs, studying more than 1,000 home-style recipes, and training on over 1 million cooking data points, wan AIChef has created a cooking model that truly embodies the wisdom of Chinese cuisine—the wan AIChef Zhurong Cooking Model.
The application of this advanced model has allowed wan AIChef to solve long-standing challenges in the traditional kitchen appliance industry. For example, many traditional appliances cannot 'create delicious dishes,' while slightly smarter ones are limited to fixed recipes, offering few options and lacking personalized 'flavors.'
The technological revolution sparked by wan AIChef in the kitchen appliance industry makes it possible for everyone to become a 'master chef.'
Wang Ning explained that the model understands various characteristics of ingredients, such as their heat response, and can adjust based on temperature changes, ingredient color changes, and other factors, making experiential judgments. Through neural networks and extensive data training, the AI mimics the cooking logic and decision-making of human chefs. During the cooking process, the model uses its powerful learning capabilities to adjust intelligently in real time based on user feedback, delivering personalized cooking results.
According to AVC (All View Cloud) data for January to June 2024, the overall retail sales of small kitchen appliances reached 26.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 5.4%. Overall, the online average price of small kitchen appliances continued the 2023 trend with a narrowing decline. For the first time, the offline average price also dropped, influenced by more rational consumer demand. The market for essential kitchen appliance categories has reached saturation, with a clear ceiling effect. However, consumer demand for smart, healthy, and space-saving products continues to grow. It’s not hard to predict that the industry will be driven by technology for essential categories and by functionality for premium categories. Consumers’ desire for new experiences, features, technologies, and emotional satisfaction remains strong. The challenge for the kitchen appliance market has always been how to accurately capture the ever-changing needs of consumers.
For the highly competitive kitchen appliance market, the launch of wan AIChef’s Intelligence System undoubtedly offers a new solution and is poised to drive new growth opportunities for the industry. The introduction of the wan AIChef Kitchen Intelligence System signals that AI technology is leading a kitchen revolution, opening up new frontiers in the smart home sector. This product not only meets consumers’ personalized needs but also grants them 'cooking freedom.' At the same time, it demonstrates the immense potential of AI in the culinary field and provides new growth opportunities for businesses across the related industrial chain. As the technology matures and the market expands, AI-powered kitchen appliances are expected to become a new growth engine for the home appliance industry, attracting significant capital investment and driving rapid industry development.
Pioneering a New Business Model
In the kitchen appliance industry, the emergence of wan AIChef’s Intelligence System represents not only a technological innovation but also a groundbreaking shift in business models.
wan AIChef is not just a home appliance company or a hardware manufacturer; it is positioned as a culinary digitalization system service provider, built on data and models, aiming to create new intelligent cooking scenarios. This unique positioning allows it to seamlessly transition between the C-end (consumer) and B-end (business) markets.
Traditionally, the C-end home kitchen appliance market and the B-end commercial kitchen appliance market were entirely separate segments. However, empowered by AI models, wan AIChef has made it possible to bridge these two markets.
On the C-end, wan AIChef’s products, with their convenience and intelligence, make it possible for everyone to become a "master chef" effortlessly. On the B-end, the business model is more complex. Leveraging its vast data resources, wan AIChef plans to connect the industrial and user ends, empowering traditional hardware and food manufacturers through intelligent solutions. As a provider of kitchen digitalization systems, wan AIChef opens up possibilities for cross-industry integration. It aims to promote the concept of healthy, fresh, and frozen foods and introduce unmanned kitchen commercial solutions capable of serving 120 people simultaneously with 24/7 availability. By 2026, wan AIChef expects to cover 10,000 core locations, collaborate with 300 food companies, and develop 2,000 dishes, making meals more accessible than ever.
Technology for Good: Enhancing Social Value
Beyond commercial value, AI also enhances social efficiency.
In wan AIChef’s elderly meal assistance scenario, the "wan AIChef Caring Canteen" adopts a model of "smart cooking equipment + ready-to-cook fresh frozen foods + digital service platforms." Led by the government, operated by community committees, and supported by society, this model effectively links social charity forces, food suppliers, and beneficiaries through a digital service platform, enabling full data transparency and visual management. As of August this year, over 120 Caring Canteens have been established, covering more than 110 rural areas and communities and serving over 20,000 elderly people, with participation from over 50爱心企业 (charitable enterprises). Zhang Zhixiang, First Secretary of Gaoling Village, Batang Subdistrict, Gangnan District, Guigang City, Guangxi, stated that wan AIChef’s new model, which requires no space, procurement, cooking, cleaning, or staffing costs, allows rural "Caring Canteens" to operate with plug-and-play convenience and scan-to-enjoy simplicity, giving operators the flexibility to "choose meals based on available resources."
This "hardware + data system service" model provides the industry with a feasible solution, using AI technology to achieve simultaneous growth in commercial and social value.
The birth of learning-enabled kitchen appliances meets the complex demands of cooking, a need that exists not only in domestic markets but also overseas. In the future, after validating its unique technological advantages and business model in China, wan AIChef is expected to expand into global markets, bringing its innovative solutions worldwide.
Source: Yicai News（第一财经资讯）, September 3, 2024.
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AI Models Enter the Kitchen: wan AIChef Launches Kitchen Intelligence System