Not a Cookbook

Not a Cookbook is among the first cookbooks composed entirely with AI systems. No human chefs were consulted for the recipes; synthetic collaborators handled every ingredient pairing, instruction, and illustration. Thordur Arnason co-wrote and edited the project to probe how generative tools reshape creative production under a sixteen-week constraint.

Why we made it

The experiment investigates how generative AI can augment human capability rather than replace it. Working through a rapid toolchain highlighted both the limitations and expanding potential of emerging models. The process aligns with the Engelbart-era vision of human augmentation instead of automation anxiety.

Toolchain

• GPT-3 Davinci-002 / GPT-3.5 Davinci-003 (KIM): narrative voice and recipe generation.
• FlavourGraph & FlavourDB (Flaivia): molecular-level ingredient and flavor pairings.
• Midjourney, DALL·E 2, Stable Diffusion: artwork, images, and speculative photography.
• Resemble.ai (AIson): voice clone for audiobook narration tests.
• Additional research agents and utilities contributed, even if their outputs did not ship in the final publication.

Availability

• Download preview (PDF). Contact us for the current link.
• Apple Books (EPUB). Public listing coming soon.

This project reminded us that AI is only a threat when we hand off our agency. Treated as collaborators, these systems can expand the ways we cook, write, and imagine new cultural artifacts.