IBM’s supercomputer Watson has created a cookbook

Is there anything IBM’s supercomputer Watson can’t do? Not content with winning Jeopardy and pinpointing promising new areas for cancer research, the clever so-and-so has just created a new cookbook. Move over, Hemsley and Hemsley.

According to Business Insider, IBM taught Watson about complementary flavours, nutrition, and cultural preferences, and he used algorithms based on that data to suggest ingredient combinations, which the fine people at the Institute of Culinary Education turned into recipes.

Unencumbered by usual ideas of taste and despite never having eaten a meal, Watson came up with thousands of ideas, many of which you probably haven’t tried before (grilled asparagus and sous vide pigs’ feet, anyone?) 65 of which were chosen for the book. And some of them do actually sound potentially tasty, like Thai quiche, and Italian pumpkin cheesecake.

Called Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson, it’s out tomorrow and will set you back £20.25 from Amazon, but what price innovation?

If this is the start of a series, I’d suggest some kind of life hacking book next. Sure Watson’s more clever than any of us and never has to commute to work or load the dishwasher, but its productivity levels are through the roof, and it never seems to procrastinate.