Researchers at Cal Poly Study the Social Impact of AI & Robots in the Food World
Last fall, a group of researchers at Cal Poly was awarded a $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study the social and ethical implications of AI and cooking automation.
The study will last four years and examine the benefits and risks for individuals and the impact on family and community relations, arts and culture, economics and society, health and welfare, and environment and safety.
The study is led by Patrick Lin, professor of philosophy and director of the Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group at Cal Poly.
“Robot or AI kitchens can make a special place and social work at home, so that it is forced to pay more attention,” Lin said in the announcement. “Outside the home, restaurants are one of the most important and oldest businesses, given the importance of food. They are the basis of the economy, the soul of the community, and the ambassador of culture. But the pandemic is causing a big change in the restaurant industry, and robot kitchens could be the point that forces many restaurants to change or die in the coming years.”
According to Lin, the main output will be an “ethical impact report” for the public that examines the societal impact of robotics and AI in this “last mile” of food automation. This will include exploring everything from robots flipping burgers or making pizzas for restaurants to using AI and robots at home to produce and create whole foods.
An interesting project that came onto my radar because Lin personally invited me to participate in a workshop held at Cal Poly to discuss the impact of robotics and AI on the last mile. Although I don’t usually participate in these types of research projects, I decided to run him through it since this is an area I’ve been working on lately.
Another potential area that I am very interested in is how human workers will respond to automation in their workplace. While I expect that some employees will welcome the opportunity to use technology to make their work lives easier, others will be frustrated or outright resent some of their previous jobs being automated.
Another conductor who experienced this firsthand is Andrew Simmons. He recently saw former employees launch a social media campaign criticizing his restaurant for using robots in the kitchen, including reporting it to the local health department. What’s interesting about Simmons is that, unlike many of the robotics installations that headline national chains like Sweetgreen, he’s a small, single-restaurant operator reinventing his entire dining experience using a heavy-duty automation technology stack. I think other small operators will try to follow the template he created (he says he can make future restaurants for $70k), especially if he shows that he can succeed.
As restaurant robots become less expensive and more accessible, there is no doubt that society will need to think about what the impact will be. I’m excited to be participating in Lin’s workshop to help think through some of this, and hope to share some of the ideas from the workshop. I will be limited in what I can share – Lin explained that the workshop will follow the Chatham House Rule, which prohibits the identification of participants other than themselves. implied consent – but I plan to write about some of the important details discussed in the workshop in the future, so stay tuned.
For those who didn’t receive an invitation to this workshop and want to discuss this exciting topic, I suggest coming to The Spoon’s Food AI Summit, taking place in the Bay Area this October!
