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Samsung TVs will use AI to identify dishes on-screen and find recipes.
The technology links with the Samsung Food app.
The feature links with meal planning, grocery list-making, and related features.

A delicious meal on TV can make your mouth water even if you have no idea how to make it. Samsung wants to turn that craving into action using AI through its new TVs and the Samsung Food app. The feature uses AI vision to recognize food on the screen and fetch you the recipe.

Say you’re watching a cooking show, and someone pulls a steaming beef bourguignon out of the oven. With Samsung Food enabled, your TV can recognize that dish and suggest a recipe so you can make it yourself. It doesn’t stop there—Samsung Food on TV can also display updates on grocery or takeout orders placed through its mobile app. While you won’t be stirring the pot from the comfort of your couch, this kind of integration aims to make cooking more accessible and engaging.

Samsung Food already offers AI-guided cooking steps and suggests recipes based on uploaded photos. Now, with Samsung Food coming to TVs, the technology is stepping directly into your living room. Of course, recipe tools that try to identify dishes based on photos or videos haven’t exactly been flawless, as I’ve learned from playing with ChatGPT.

“We’re bringing dishes from movies or TV right to your dinner table with Samsung Food. Leveraging our AI processor, it recognizes the food on your screen and provides recipes for bringing it to life,” Samsung wrote in a press release. “Samsung Food can also analyze what’s in your fridge and build a shopping list of missing ingredients. Plus, you can purchase groceries or takeout using provider apps and monitor delivery right from your TV. It’s truly the ultimate AI sous chef.”

AI Grocers

Hungry AI eyes on your TV pair well with the cameras Samsung announced will order food from you from Instacart. The AI in Samsung Bespoke refrigerators can see into your fridge, and Instacart’s product-matching system can suggest what you need to replenish and let you place an order with a few taps. You’ll be able to browse your grocery list right on the fridge’s touchscreen and have items delivered the same day.

The AI chef’s help is part of several new AI features for Samsung TVs branded under Vision AI. There’s also the Click to Search tool that allows viewers to identify on-screen actors or filming locations, while Live Translate offers real-time subtitle translations. The inclusion of Samsung Food is one more step toward creating a home ecosystem where your TV is as involved in your life as your phone or smart fridge.

This push into culinary AI is both ambitious and a little quirky. On one hand, it’s fun to imagine recreating the il timpano from Big Night after a movie marathon. On the other, it’s a reminder that AI can only do so much. No algorithm is going to dice your onions or make sure your soufflé doesn’t collapse. And let’s be honest, if you’re the type who orders takeout while watching The Great British Bake Off, you might not be Samsung Food’s target audience. But for the adventurous cook, this tech could be a game-changer—or at least a nifty way to impress dinner guests.