DUBAI, July 10, 2025 — Dubai to Launch Restaurant with AI Chef. In a city known for its futuristic ambitions, Dubai is taking the next leap by introducing WOOHOO, a one-of-a-kind dining experience powered by an AI chef. Scheduled to open in September in bustling downtown Dubai, just steps from the iconic Burj Khalifa, WOOHOO promises to serve dishes dreamt up by a large language model called Chef Aiman — blending artificial intelligence with fine dining like never before.
While the food will still be prepared by skilled human chefs, everything else — from the menu design to the flavor pairings and dining ambiance — will be curated by Chef Aiman, an AI program trained on decades of culinary science, molecular gastronomy, and more than a thousand global recipes.
A Taste Designed by Data
Chef Aiman, whose name cleverly combines “AI” and “man”, breaks down food into its chemical and sensory building blocks — texture, acidity, sweetness, umami — and recombines them to create unexpected flavor profiles and ingredient pairings.
Since AI can’t taste or smell, the final say still rests with human chefs like Reif Othman, a Dubai-based culinary star who is overseeing the taste-testing and refinement. “Their responses to my suggestions help refine my understanding of what works beyond pure data,” Chef Aiman explained in an interactive AI interview.
Elevating Human Creativity, Not Replacing It
Ahmet Oytun Cakir, CEO of hospitality company Gastronaut and co-founder of WOOHOO, insists the goal is to enhance human creativity — not replace it. “Human cooking will not be replaced, but we believe Chef Aiman will elevate ideas and creativity,” Cakir said.
One of Aiman’s most promising features is sustainability. The AI is programmed to develop recipes that cleverly reuse kitchen by-products often discarded in commercial kitchens — like meat trimmings and fat — in order to cut food waste and promote more sustainable dining.
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A Global Vision for AI Dining
Beyond Dubai, WOOHOO’s founders see Chef Aiman’s potential far beyond a single restaurant. The plan is to license Aiman to kitchens worldwide, helping chefs experiment with new recipes while also adopting more sustainable practices.
As Dubai continues to position itself at the forefront of innovation — from driverless taxis to robot police — the city’s culinary scene looks set to join the movement with the world’s first AI-driven chef concept at its helm.
When WOOHOO opens its doors this September, one thing is clear: in Dubai, the future of dining is deliciously data-driven.
