Young Chef Olympiad 2025 kicks off in Goa with artificial intelligence in focus
Telegraph | 5 February 2025
Young chefs from 50 countries will throw culinary challenges at one another for a week.
The 11th edition of IIHM’s Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) took off along the banks of the Mandovi in Goa on Sunday with the promise of a collaboration of human touch and technology.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) will be on the competition menu but not at the cost of human touch.
“AI would be a tool to enhance guest experience and sustainability in the hospitality industry but human touch and warmth is key in our industry and AI cannot replace that,” said Suborno Bose, founder of International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) and YCO, and chairman of the International Hospitality Council (IHC).
For the first time, the competition has been opened to public participation. The public will get to vote for their favourite contestant for special trophies. E-voting will be facilitated by AI.
During the competition, students will upload their recipe and measurements on an app for it to calculate the calorie content.
Organised by IIHM in partnership with IHC, London, the olympiad will witness the first round of competitions in Goa, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad before the young chefs move to Calcutta for the next rounds. The finale will be on February 8.
“AI will become a part of the hospitality industry and this will involve changes in the curriculum and what we teach,” said Bose.
He quoted a few examples of how AI would become the cornerstone of the industry.
“In traditional Indian weddings, we see people carrying jewellery with them and many are not confident about the security of them being kept in the lockers of hotel rooms. AI can enable facial recognition to make the lockers safer.”
Bose said AI would also help reduce food wastage. “AI can predict the amount of food that would be required for an event or buffet, which would help in minimising wastage.”
On Sunday, a book by Bose — Harmonizing Human Touch and AI, Tourism & Hospitality — was released. It is an A to Z of hospitality and hospitality education.
David Foskett, chairman of the YCO jury, said AI would enable more inclusivity. “Use AI as an enabler and not a taker of jobs,” he said.