Fresco signs deal with Panasonic to bring AI assistant to the kitchen

Irish-based smart kitchen company Fresco has signed a deal with Panasonic that will see the smart kitchen company bring its AI-powered cooking assistant to the kitchen.

The new assistant, which combines Fresco’s large language models and artificial intelligence technology, will be used alongside Panasonic’s hardware, such as its multifunctional countertop ovens and microwaves.

The smart assistant, which can be accessed within the Panasonic app, will allow customers to adapt recipes to suit their dietary preferences and lifestyle in real time, adjusting serving sizes, substituting ingredients and changing cooking settings. The first appliance to get the new assistant is the Panasonic HomeChef 4-in-1 multi-oven, which will be demonstrated at CES in Las Vegas.

“We’re delighted to be building the future of the kitchen with a brand like Panasonic that has such a strong culture of innovation. They understand the needs of today’s home cooks, who want nutritious and delicious meals with less effort,” said Ben Harris, Fresco chief executive and cofounder of the company. “Together, we can deliver this through our proprietary AI cooking assistant and enable Panasonic customers to easily cook tasty meals, tailored to their lifestyles.”

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The deal expands a partnership between the two companies that began in 2019, with guided recipes for Panasonic’s non-connected microwaves.

“We’re excited to build upon our partnership with Fresco and demonstrate our commitment to bringing the best cooking experience to our customers. Panasonic has always been at the forefront of technology innovation, and by combining this with Fresco’s revolutionary AI capabilities, we will deliver on the promise of a smart kitchen,” said Walter Taffarello, director of new business development and strategic partnerships at Panasonic.

Fresco, which was formerly known as Drop, offers a neutral platform to connect smart kitchen appliances. Cofounded by Mr Harris, Jack Phelan, Jonny McCauley and Tim Redfern in 2012, it developed its own smart scale, the Drop scale, before developing a dedicated platform to connect appliance manufacturers, recipe publishers and food stores together. It launched the operating system, KitchenOS, last year, offering a seamless cooking experience for connected appliances, making the appliances easier to use and reducing the fragmentation in the smart kitchen sector.

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