Chef vs. Robot

Robby the chef has lots of endearing qualities. He can make over 5000 dishes, he’s a consistent cook, and he’s never late for work. But he’s not a human. It is a 750 lb. stainless steel robot. With a rotating wok at its center. It’s a wok-bot. Automation has changed many industries. But automation only started entering restaurant kitchens in the past couple decades. Which raises the question – what will robots mean for the restaurant industry? How will automation change jobs and how will it change the very food we eat? Today on the show, we talk with a Nobel prize-winning economist, Daron Acemoglu , about when automation is complementing or displacing workers. And we decide to put this wok-bot to the test. We pit a human chef against Robby the wok-bot in a head-to-metalhead smackdown. Further Listening/Reading: How AI could help rebuild the middle class The Big Red Button Check out our AI series: Planet Money makes an episode using AI Why Nations Fail, America Edition (newsletter) A New Way To Understand Automation (newsletter) Get your book tour tickets here. / Pre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift .

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Chef vs. Robot is an episode from Planet Money by NPR.

This episode is 25:40 long.

This episode was published on Mar 13, 2026.

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