Just Eat Apologizes After AI-Generated Food Images Spark Online Ridicule

According to the BBC UK, Just Eat apologized following widespread ridicule online concerning a series of errors in AI-generated pictures intended for some of its restaurants' food listings. The food delivery platform had been testing this technology to display items that lacked existing imagery, but the results were not consistently accurate.

The AI produced several unusual creations, including an image depicting bacon and eggs floating in a glass of cola, which was attributed to a confusion between "soda" and "soda bread," as well as depictions of chips emerging from muffins.

A spokesperson for Just Eat stated that the company is currently in the process of removing the inaccurate images and will cease generating more until the AI undergoes further development. The spokesperson also noted that Just Eat collaborates with thousands of small restaurants on food imagery and funds professional local photographers, adding that the firm was trialing AI-enhanced images and that, like any new technology, it is not always perfect initially.

The incident has highlighted the challenges companies can encounter when employing AI to streamline or simplify operational tasks, particularly when the AI is tasked with interpreting language within a specific context. Members of the Just Eat UK subreddit have been posting amusing interpretations of takeaway food items over the last few days.

Any picture created using AI on the delivery application includes a label indicating this, and the BBC observed that many of the more unusual depictions remained visible on menus.

Separately, a cafe in Belfast had its bacon and egg soda bread dish represented as a glass of fizzy drink containing a cooked egg and bacon. Confusion was also sometimes compounded by spelling errors on menu items; for instance, the Instagram account @uknewestfoods posted a picture of garlic bread shaped like a plane, which was possibly due to a misspelling of the word "plain."

Furthermore, a "cheese roll" (bread and cheese) was depicted as slabs of cheese rolled into a sushi roll. While some social media users found the images "hilarious," another user expressed disinterest in the AI-generated dishes, stating that they had helped with their diet.

One individual on Instagram questioned the value of customers viewing AI-generated food images, even if they were closer to reality, stating that they prefer to see what the dish actually looks like to help determine which restaurant to order from or what to order. This person added that these "perfect" AI versions could lead to disappointment if that is what the customer expects their meal to resemble.