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Celebrated chef Sanjeev Kapoor has weighed in on the growing role of artificial intelligence in the culinary world, urging openness to innovation and adaptation rather than resistance.

In an interaction with IANS, Kapoor said technology — whether AI or earlier digital shifts — has always reshaped how people cook and consume food, and must be embraced as part of progress.

“Whether it is AI or any other technology, we always need to adapt to it… there is always going to be something new, and we will have to move forward along with it. So we should not be scared of the new technology, we should try to work along with it,” he said.

Kapoor, who became a household name through his iconic show Khana Khazana, highlighted that culinary traditions can evolve alongside technological advancements without losing their essence.

In a notable crossover of food and technology, filmmaker Hansal Mehta — who once directed episodes of Khana Khazana — is now working on what is being described as India’s first AI-powered cooking series, titled Khana Dil Se.

Mehta described the project as more than just a visual experiment, positioning AI as a creative collaborator in storytelling.

“The use of AI will not just be as a visual and imagination tool, but as a collaborator in the storytelling itself. ‘Khana Dil Se’ reclaims food as a living cultural heritage,” he said.

Reflecting on the deeper meaning of cooking, Mehta emphasised that food transcends recipes, acting as a vessel of history, identity, and human connection.

“When you cook something from another culture, you are not just following a recipe — you are stepping into a piece of someone else’s life,” he said. “A recipe carries within it an entire history: of land, of migration, of a grandmother’s hands… these are among humanity’s most durable cultural documents.”

As AI continues to reshape industries, voices like Kapoor and Mehta suggest that the future of cooking may lie in blending tradition with technology — where innovation enhances, rather than replaces, the human stories behind food.

With IANS inputs