Introduction

• Shekeib and Shohaib join the podcast as guests to talk about their experience with creating hot sauces using AI optimization.
• They created a special hot sauce, named "Counting Sauce," specifically for the podcast hosts.

The Making of Counting Sauce

• This is a unique hot sauce that includes pineapple and mango flavors.
• The sauce was created as a token of appreciation for being featured on the podcast.

Journey through Different Versions of the Sauce

• The hosts have tried versions 19, 20, 21, and they just received version 25.
• There will be a blind taste test to determine if they can tell the difference between the different iterations and compare them with other sauces to tell which is AI-created.

Optimization Process

• The process involves optimizing the amount of each ingredient.
• They use a Gaussian process regression model and an acquisition function called Expected Improvement for the optimization.

Choice of Ingredients

• The base hot sauce has five main ingredients: vinegar, pepper, jalapeno, and lime.
• After 25 iterations, the differences in taste become so minute it becomes hard to tell the difference.

Subjective Taste Testing

• Shekeib talks about how his taste tolerance changes after tasting hot sauces all day.
• They involved family and friends in the tasting process and asked for ratings on a scale of one to ten.

The Learning Curve of the AI

• Early on, the AI would try extreme variations like too much or too little salt.
• It learned quickly from feedback and adjusted accordingly.

Strength of Bayesian Optimization

• The AI can learn mathematically from feedback and apply the learnings, making the optimization process quicker and more efficient.
• It was also able to tweak multiple ingredients simultaneously, unlike a human who might focus on one ingredient at a time.

No Prior Experience in Hot Sauce Making

• Both brothers had no prior experience or generational knowledge in hot sauce making.
• The AI managed to create a decent hot sauce in just five iterations.

Power of Bayesian Optimization with Human Expertise

• The brothers emphasize the importance of having a human expert in the loop of Bayesian optimization.
• The AI simulates the intuition and experience of a human expert, but having a real human guide the process further enhances the results.

1. Application Beyond Hot Sauce

• They discuss the potential of their Bayesian optimization process in other areas such as drug discovery.
• The process can be guided by human experts in the respective fields for even better results.

Host: Angelo Kastroulis

Executive Producer: Náture Kastroulis

Producer: Albert Perrotta

Communications Strategist: Albert Perrotta

Video/Audio Engineer: Ryan Thompson

Music: All Things Grow by Oliver Worth