How has the Indian kitchen evolved over the years?
Kitchen is no longer just a place to cook food. It’s a place to indulge in the therapeutic culinary art with family and friends. A place to entertain and party. It’s now almost an extension of the living and dining spaces. This makes the hearth the heart of the home. That’s why its design has come to showcase the personality of its owners, their lifestyle and aspirations. Advances in technology too have lead to a great deal of changes in the kind of materials employed, appliances and fixtures selected and the way the design is conceived. Over the past two decades, open kitchens have also become common, though they were once not considered ideal in the Indian context.
When do you think Indian kitchens will be at par with its international counterparts?
The presence of many international kitchen brands has revolutionised the Indian interior design scene. Several Italian companies pioneered in high-quality modular kitchen design. One of the kitchen leaders in the world, Scavolini, is a classic example of fine aesthetics, functionality, safety and great style. Through constant innovation in technology, materials and applications, they have elevated the look of the kitchen, as well as the lifestyle of their clients. High personalisation makes them kitchens that you identify with easily. Their clean and elegant design, sophisticated finishes and impeccable functionality and durability are truly inspirational. And their popularity is proof that the Indian connoisseur has embraced sleek and modern design.
How do you think Artificial Intelligence can change the kitchen format forever?
While technology has revolutionised the design and function, Indian homes are not yet ready for all-out smart kitchens. Certain appliances and tasks can be monitored and controlled from remote using a smart device. There are also many intelligent features that are of great help. For example, daily safety and pantry checklists are a good idea. Today you can use a smart fridge, oven or washing machine, that can be operated by pressing a few buttons on your phone or tab. These are also useful for reducing energy consumption and saving time and effort. Smart storage and organisation is also welcome as they make life easy. But a total smart kitchen or the use of AI in the kitchen is yet to become a reality in India.
What is the most important thing that is required for Indian homes to be truly automated?
Our cooking involves several complicated steps and processes, it would be a hard task to fully automate the kitchen. Also, automation involves high cost and heavy reliance on Internet connection. Moreover, easy availability of manpower to manage the kitchen and household work makes such technology redundant. At best, people would want to invest in a dishwasher or robotic floor cleaner. Are Indian homes ready for to be transformed into smart kitchens?
What are the core strategies & risks involved of key players in the AI Enabled Kitchen technologies market?
As discussed before, we need a long way to go before Indian homes and kitchens can be fully automated or run on AI-enabled technology.
