Gusto TV is experimenting with more than recipes as it starts production on a culinary show featuring on-screen characters generated through artificial intelligence (AI).

The Wizard of Sauce stars Halifax-raised and Toronto-based social media content creator and food stylist Kyle Crawford (pictured left), who will give tips on how to make different types of sauces while touching on topical issues spanning pop culture, fashion and lifestyle. He’ll be joined by three AI-generated secondary characters — Professor Saussenheimer, Dr. Sauss and Sgt. Sauce-alot.

The Wizard of Sauce is being shot on a high-concept, non-kitchen set at Gusto’s studios in Ottawa and is slated to air exclusively on Gusto TV later this year, according to a news release.

Crawford appears as himself and performs the other characters in costume to script on a green screen. The characters are then digitized in post-production and rendered as new AI characters, who are featured in approximately 30-second interstitial  throughout an episode.

All production work at Gusto TV is done in-house, including its push into AI.

A Gusto spokesperson tells Playback Daily that since the international food channel produces content for itself, it has more freedom to experiment, and its push into AI “is not driven so much by a business rationale as a commitment to providing our audiences with new viewing experiences in the food genre.”

Chris Knight, president and CEO of Gusto TV, said in a statement that the company is “constantly looking for new ways to make emotional connections and entertain” viewers.

“First there was streaming technology that allowed us to bring the channel to 160+ countries, now we have a variety of AIs that open up new narratives and storylines for us to experiment with,” said Knight.

On that note, Gusto TV is already working on its next AI project, Some Assembly Required. Casting is underway for the host that will speak with “Mother Nature,” an AI creation that will appear on set via a giant plasma screen, with a non-linear and unrehearsed script.