Nestlé Toll House propels home baking trend with the help of an AI cookie expert
The company is digging into its 80+ years of knowledge to power Ruth – ‘an interactive way to get answers to cookie questions’ – on its website, VeryBestBaking.com.
Named after Ruth Graves Wakefield – a dietician and food lecturer turned New England innkeeper credited with inventing the original Toll House chocolate chip cookies in 1938 – the virtual cookie coach is powered by artificial intelligence (AI), enabling it to instinctively answer any baking-related question. In fact, Nestlé said the more questions she is asked, the smarter she should get.
Troubleshooting bot
The introduction follows the influx of queries received by the company from home bakers who wanted to perfect their cookie technique.
“Delighting the consumer drives everything we do, so when we analysed our Consumer Engagement Centre calls and found 70% of all inbound inquiries were related to troubleshooting our iconic Nestle Toll House cookie recipe, we knew we had an opportunity. The creation of Ruth showcases our investment in tech innovation to ensure we're meeting consumer needs,” said Orchid Bertelsen, head of digital strategy and innovation at Nestlé USA.
“From ingredient substitutions to recipe ratios, mastering the perfect texture and more, Ruth can answer the most commonly-asked questions about how to make cookies (and not screw them up).
“Beyond the basics, she can also answer questions like, ‘How can I make my cookies gluten-free?’ or ‘Why do cookies burn?’.”
Ruth is also equipped to give tutorials, provide baking tips, make customisations to recipes based on dietary and personal preferences, and explain the basics of ingredients and baking best-practices.
She even provides ‘cookie first aid’ when a baking project goes wrong. And best of all, she is available 24/7.
