Ever stared down an avocado, unsure if it's a creamy dream or a rock-hard nightmare? You're not alone. These little green guys are notorious for making us guess at what's inside, often leaving us with mushy messes and unyielding disappointment. But a new fancy app called Ripe or Not promises to help guacamole enthusiasts analyze that tricky avocado to tell you if it's ready to eat.
From Rock to Guac: AI Cracks the Avocado Ripeness Code
Ripe or Not uses AI (is there anything that doesn't these days?) to analyze a photo of your avocado to tell you if it's guacamole time. No more weird squeezing or questionable stem-popping required. Just snap a pic, and Ripe or Not will be your avocado whisperer, revealing its inner ripeness.
AI Can Help Us Save Money, Reduce Food Waste
There are other companies that are looking to not only make our lives easier in the kitchen, but also aim to use AI to reduce food waste. One-third of all food is wasted globally, and a whopping 40% of that is fresh produce - much of which is lost or wasted before it even gets to our homes. Enter OneThird, a Netherlands-based company that combines AI-powered freshness scanners, a user-friendly cloud platform, and smartphone imaging to predict shelf life not just at home, but throughout all stages of the supply chain. That means the tech is being used to optimize transportation routes, reduce costs and create less food waste. According to the company, OneThird's technology is already showing a 25% reduction in food waste across the supply chains where it's used.
The Future of Food is Here: AI Kitchen Assistants & Your Next Meal
In addition to creating less food waste and identifying the perfect avocado, AI is giving us a real glimpse into the future, where AI kitchen assistants will likely be a regular thing, seamlessly waltzing into our kitchens to make us better cooks. I imagine a world where, one day, it can help my husband figure out if that overly large chicken breast is cooked all the way through, or suggest the perfect recipe for mystery leftovers (there's only so much I can do with taco meat and a bag of kale). Perhaps it'll help me figure out which wine pairs best with the contemplation of a few previous, yet questionable life choices (okay, maybe not that last one).
