Tired of meal planning or nagging your spouse? Outsource it to a machine

(Image: The Washington Post)

Sun, 24 Aug 2025

By Lisa BonosThe first time Brit Kwait, a vegan mother of three in Chicago, outsourced her meal planning to AI, she felt like a 1950s housewife who’d just used packaged dough for the first time.But in 2025, her kitchen shortcut was an app called Ollie that used artificial intelligence to help her branch out beyond stir-fries and grain bowls.AI-powered app Every week, Kwait, 40, types into the app what’s on sale at her local grocery. Ollie comes back with recipe ideas, tailored to Kwait’s family, the rest of whom ar...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

The Life

Review: Logitech MX Master 4

Life is all about making tasks easier for yourself, and the MX Master does exactly that.

Jacques Steenkamp 05 Oct 2025

The Life Review

‘When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…’

The oddities of social life may turn on our assumptions about the knowledge we share.

The Wall Street Journal 05 Oct 2025

‘When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…’

The Life Review

MG Cyberster 77kWh AWD: the doors of a billionaire

The Cyberster isn't your grandad's MGB.

Damien O’Carroll 05 Oct 2025

MG Cyberster 77kWh AWD: the doors of a billionaire

Sponsored

Why New Zealand organisations need to rethink their cloud strategy

New Zealand organisations have embraced cloud computing over the past decade, but many are now confronting a sobering reality: adoption alone isn’t enough. According to Datacom’s 2025 Cloud & Infrastructure Report, only half of New Zealand businesses say they’ve realised the benefits they expected from cloud – despite significant investment.

Datacom

Sponsored