Geek Robocook is a smart kitchen appliance manufactured by Anthropic, a San Francisco based artificial intelligence company. Anthropic was founded in 2021 and has quickly become a leader in conversational AI. The company is known for creating thoughtful and helpful AI assistants.
Smart kitchen appliances are becoming increasingly popular, allowing home cooks to simplify and improve their cooking. Devices like smart ovens, multicookers and robotic cookers provide features like automatic cooking programs, voice controls and mobile app connectivity. One of the newest entries in this market is the geek Robocook by Anthropic.
The geek Robocook is an intelligent robotic cooker created by Anthropic, a startup focused on safe and helpful artificial intelligence. Anthropic was founded in 2021 by former Google and OpenAI researchers Dario Amodei, Daniela Amodei, Tom Brown, Chris Olah, Sam McCandlish, Jack Clarke and Jared Kaplan. The company has raised over $700 million in funding to date.
Anthropic’s mission is to ensure artificial intelligence systems are helpful, harmless and honest. The company aims to develop AI that is beneficial to society through products like Claude, an AI assistant, and the new geek Robocook. The robotic cooker was built using a conversational AI model trained by Anthropic to be especially competent, harmless and honest.
Key Features
The geek Robocook aims to simplify home cooking using a variety of intelligent features:
- Conversational AI assistant – The built-in Claude AI assistant allows users to interact with and control the cooker using natural language.
- Automatic cooking programs – Over 500 preset recipes with automatically adjusted cook times and temperatures.
- Precision cooking – Temperature probe and built-in sensors monitor food conditions for perfect results.
- Connected mobile app – Remote monitoring, control and notifications through iOS/Android app.
- Hands-free voice control – Voice commands for starting/stopping cooking, setting timers and checking status.
These features allow the geek Robocook to take care of tedious cooking tasks while users focus on more enjoyable aspects of meal preparation. The conversational AI makes it simple to operate the cooker and achieve excellent results.
Specifications
| Size | 12″ W x 12″ D x 14″ H |
|---|---|
| Weight | 12 lbs |
| Capacity | 5 quarts |
| Cooking Modes | Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, Steam, Sauté, Bake/Roast, Broil, Warm, Yogurt |
| Maximum Temperature | 400°F |
| Power Supply | 120V, 60Hz |
| Connectivity | WiFi, Bluetooth |
| App Platforms | iOS, Android |
| Accessories | Stainless steel inner pot, condensation collector, rice paddle, soup spoon, measuring cup |
With its compact size and variety of cooking functions, the geek Robocook is designed to be an all-in-one appliance. The inclusion of a stainless steel inner pot allows for browning and sautéing directly in the cooker. The accessories provide additional convenience for meal prep tasks.
AI Assistant Overview
One of the most unique aspects of the geek Robocook is the built-in Claude AI assistant. Claude uses natural language processing to understand commands, answer questions and provide helpful information to users.
Users can interact with Claude using voice commands or through the mobile app. Some examples of questions and requests include:
- “Claude, set a timer for 15 minutes”
- “What is the status of the current recipe?”
- “How long until the stew is finished cooking?”
- “Can you recommend some healthy vegetarian recipes?”
Claude can look up recipes, adjust cook times and temperatures, start and stop cooking, set timers and alarms, and guide users through recipes step-by-step. The assistant draws on Anthropic’s conversational AI research to be especially helpful, harmless and honest.
Language Model
Claude is powered by an AI language model trained by Anthropic using Constitutional AI techniques. The details of the model are proprietary, but it is likely an advanced neural network architecture similar to Transformers, trained on massive datasets.
A key difference is Anthropic’s focus on safety and beneficial aims during the training process. The company developed a technique called Constitutional AI to align models with helpfulness, honesty, and avoiding harm. This produces AI assistants focused on the user’s best interests.
Capabilities
As a cooking assistant, Claude has capabilities tailored for kitchen tasks:
- Looking up recipes in its database based on ingredients, nutrition needs, cuisine types, etc.
- Guiding users step-by-step through each recipe.
- Suggesting recipe substitutions or modifications.
- Answering cooking-related questions.
- Starting and stopping automatic cooking programs.
- Monitoring current cook status and reporting alerts.
- Setting cooking timers and alarms.
- Adjusting cook times and temperatures based on user feedback.
Claude can understand context and hold conversations, improving on more limited voice interfaces. Over time, it will continue to expand its cooking knowledge through online databases.
Company Background
As mentioned previously, the geek Robocook is manufactured by Anthropic, an AI safety startup based in San Francisco. Anthropic was founded in 2021 with $124 million in Series A funding led by cryptocurrency investor Sam Bankman-Fried.
The four co-founders are:
- Dario Amodei – VP of Research at OpenAI, PhD in Computer Science from Stanford.
- Daniela Amodei – Research Scientist at OpenAI.
- Tom Brown – Former OpenAI researcher, lead on GPT-3 release.
- Chris Olah – Previously distilled knowledge from AI systems at OpenAI.
Additionally, Sam McCandlish, Jack Clarke and Jared Kaplan serve as partners at Anthropic. All seven founders previously worked together at OpenAI, the AI research lab known for models like GPT-3.
The startup now has over 70 full-time employees. They have offices in San Francisco and remote employees across the globe. Anthropic focuses on AI safety research and engineering beneficial AI products.
Mission
Anthropic has a mission to ensure artificial intelligence is helpful, harmless, and honest. The founders believe advanced AI systems should be designed to assist humans in solving problems and improve lives.
However, they recognize the risks if AI is poorly trained or misused for harmful aims. Their technical approach, Constitutional AI, constrains models to behave within researcher-defined safety bounds.
This philosophy carries through to products like Claude and the geek Robocook. The cooker’s AI assistant provides a friendly, thoughtful interface focused on the user’s needs. Meanwhile, safety practices during training resulted in harmless system behaviors.
Investors
As an emerging AI startup, Anthropic has attracted significant investor interest:
- Sam Bankman-Fried – Major crypto trader, founder FTX exchange
- Crossbeam – Venture capital firm co-founded by Charlie Cheever
- Elizabeth Street Ventures – Backed tech companies like Airtable and Stripe
- ICONIQ Capital – Venture capital fund with over $100 billion assets
- Andreessen Horowitz – Leading Silicon Valley VC firm, invested in Facebook and Airbnb
With over $700 million raised so far, Anthropic is poised to become a leading AI development company. The geek Robocook represents their expansion into consumer products beyond research projects.
Pricing and Availability
The geek Robocook is currently available for pre-order on the Anthropic website for $999. This represents a mid-to-high price point among smart cooking appliances.
For comparison, the price is above most basic multicookers but lower than advanced models like the Thermomix TM6 at $1500. Given the inclusion of novel AI technology, the pricing aims for a mainstream consumer market.
Anthropic has not announced exact shipping timelines yet but expects to start deliveries by late 2023. As production ramps up, the cooker may become available through other retailers as well.
There are currently no subscription fees for the Claude AI assistant. However, Anthropic may add optional premium features for a monthly cost down the road.
Conclusion
The geek Robocook aims to make home cooking easier, more enjoyable and accessible to all. With its intelligent voice assistant, automatic programs, and remote app control, the robotic cooker simplifies meal preparation.
Anthropic’s use of Constitutional AI provides assurance that the AI assistant will act as a friendly kitchen helper. Its founders have a mission to develop artificial intelligence that benefits society.
Now available for pre-order at $999, the geek Robocook will begin shipping by late 2023. It represents an exciting new application of AI technology for the home cook. The conversational capabilities and tailored cooking guidance could make it a worthwhile investment for kitchens of the future.