This study explores how culinary professionals (chefs, educators, and graduating students) perceive and engage with Generative AI (GenAI). Rather than viewing GenAI solely as a technical tool, it is examined as a socio-technical actor intertwined with professional identity, cultural heritage, and institutional dynamics. The study reveals a landscape of hybrid possibilities, cautious optimism, and critical tensions.
Adopting a qualitative design within an interpretivist paradigm, the study investigates how culinary professionals engage with GenAI across educational and professional contexts. Rather than seeking generalizable patterns, it highlights lived experiences, perceived benefits, challenges, and contextual contingencies. The analysis is inductive and grounded in participants’ narratives, informed by sensitizing concepts from technology adoption literature.
Participants viewed GenAI as beneficial for enhancing efficiency, creative inspiration, and personalization. However, concerns were raised about authenticity, ethical ambiguity, and cultural misalignment. Findings also suggest emerging expectations for GenAI’s integration into gastronomy education, evolving professional roles, and reconfigured models of creative collaboration.
While GenAI has rapidly transformed creative industries, its role in culturally rooted professions like gastronomy is underexplored. This study contributes novel insights into how culinary professionals interpret GenAI adoption, offering implications for educators, developers, and policymakers to foster creativity, protect cultural heritage, and ensure ethical integration.
