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Artificial intelligence has already helped write code<\/a>, discover drugs<\/a>, and generate videos<\/a>. Now, it\u2019s trying to make a better burger. Researchers at Stanford University have unveiled BurgerAI, a new AI system that designs burger recipes by balancing taste, nutrition, sustainability, and cost. The surprising part? In blind taste tests, diners liked some of the AI-created burgers just as much as, and in some cases more than, a popular fast-food burger.<\/p>\n According to Stanford<\/a>, BurgerAI was trained using more than 2,200 burger recipes to understand how different ingredients interact. Rather than predicting which existing burger someone might like, the model generates entirely new recipes based on factors such as age, nutritional needs, personal taste, and even sustainability goals.<\/p>\n The researchers say there are an estimated 1043<\/sup> possible burger combinations, making it an ideal challenge for AI-driven design.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n To see whether the AI actually worked, the team prepared five BurgerAI recipes and served them to more than 100 diners in a blinded taste test. Two of the AI-designed burgers matched or outperformed a popular fast-food burger in overall liking, flavor, and texture. Even more impressively, one sustainable mushroom-based recipe delivered a significantly lower environmental footprint without sacrificing consumer acceptance.<\/p>\n Lead researcher Ellen Kuhl says that\u2019s exactly the point. Instead of asking, \u201cWhat burger is most likely?\u201d<\/em> BurgerAI asks, \u201cWhat burger best satisfies these competing objectives?<\/em>\u201d In other words, the AI isn\u2019t simply predicting outcomes. It\u2019s inventing entirely new ones.<\/p>\n The funny thing is that BurgerAI isn\u2019t meant to revolutionize fast food. The burger simply serves as a proof of concept. The researchers believe the same AI framework could eventually help design everything from new medicines and biomaterials to sustainable manufacturing processes, where engineers must constantly balance competing goals rather than optimize for just one outcome.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what makes this research so interesting. Most generative AI models today focus on creating content that resembles what already exists. BurgerAI takes a different approach by generating solutions that have never existed before and then validating them in the real world. However, the burger is just the beginning. If AI can successfully navigate trade-offs between taste, health, cost, and sustainability, it may eventually help solve far more consequential engineering problems than what\u2019s on the dinner menu.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tVarun is an experienced technology journalist and editor with over eight years in consumer tech media. His work spans\u2026\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/section>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tElon Musk refutes report claiming that an AI device is in development at SpaceX\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe billionair’s two-word denial on X doesn’t explain what part of the Wall Street Journal’s report he’s disputing.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Elon Musk has denied a Wall Street Journal report claiming SpaceX showed investors a prototype AI device before its recent IPO. “Utterly false,” Musk wrote on X, responding to a post about the report that has since been deleted, offering no further explanation.<\/p>\n A denial that leaves more questions than it answers<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tStudy finds humans will talk to AI ghosts of the dead as reincarnations, and it\u2019s pretty grim\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe first AI ghost study is in. The results are about as complicated as you’d expect.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder confirms something that sounds both impressive and concerning. People find interacting with AI simulations of their dead loved ones deeply meaningful, and most will come away wanting to do it again.<\/p>\n The researchers call it a “generative ghost,” which is a clear reference to generative AI, but I\u2019d still prefer to call it unsettling.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tChina\u2019s UBTech unveils eerily lifelike companion robots, and yes, they want to move in with you\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tUBTech’s new humanoid robots are built for companionship, using emotion-aware AI, long-term memory, and humanlike expressions to become part of your everyday life.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n A humanoid robot designed to live in your house, learn your habits, and pick up on your mood without being prompted is no longer science fiction. Shenzhen-based UBTech Robotics unveiled its Uworld U1 series this week, introducing three robots built for companionship rather than factory work or household chores.<\/p>\n A body that moves like yours, and a brain that reads how you feel<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nRecipes BurgerAI is designed to invent recipes, not copy them<\/h2>\n
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Recipes Interestingly, this isn\u2019t really about burgers<\/h2>\n
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