At Burnt, we live between two very different worlds.
On one hand, we live in the world of food. In fact, we were born into it. Our founders were raised in families whose work in the food industry spans generations: exporting shrimp and seafood, buying and selling spices, running restaurants. Because of this, the world of food is deeply embedded in our culture and way of seeing the world.
This world is one that moves carefully, methodically. A world where habits change slowly, relationships are built over decades, and traditions still largely shape how the industry works. We live in this world because it is part of who we are, and because of its importance, ultimately touching on so many aspects of the human experience.
On the other hand, we live in the world of technology and artificial intelligence. This world often moves faster than what we can keep up with. Blink and you might miss the new developments in machine learning, launches of new models, or get lost in the seemingly endless list of tools coming from this new technology.
Like every technological revolution that came before, the AI wave is simultaneously deeply disruptive, highly transformational, and ultimately, unstoppable. History shows us that technological progress can be briefly resisted, but not entirely stopped. The improvements from the new technology are simply too great for a society like ours that is driven by progress. At Burnt, we live in the world of AI out of necessity. The technology is here to stay and those who don’t adapt will be left behind.
Most people in the food industry feel the tension at the intersection of these two worlds. The pressure to adopt new technology and remain competitive clashes with the instinct to protect tradition and maintain what works. Across all of this is the fear of getting it wrong either way.
At Burnt we live through this tension every day, navigating between the slow and the fast, the old and the new, the human and the machine. Out of this challenge, we found our mission: to protect the human craft of food by using technology where it is most effective. We know the only way to get there is to deploy AI technology that deeply understands food, and to work with people so they deeply understand the technology.
In our newsletter, "Into the Fire", we will explore what it means to build AI in the highly complex industry of food. We will investigate the challenges faced by food businesses today and assess how these can be addressed on both a human and technological level. Lastly, we will go deeper into the vision that is at the core of our mission: how to protect the craft of food with technology that makes people operate at their best. We hope you’ll join us on this journey.