Just Eat Apologises After AI-Generated Food Images Spark Online Backlash
UK food delivery platform Just Eat apologised after AI-generated menu images confused users with bizarre items like bacon and eggs in cola. The company was testing AI to fill image gaps for small restaurants but misinterpreted regional terms like 'soda' and 'chip muffin.' Just Eat is removing the flawed images and pausing new AI generation until the technology improves, highlighting ongoing challenges in deploying AI for visual content at scale.
Key points
- Just Eat, a major UK online food delivery platform, apologised after AI-generated images for restaurant menus created viral confusion among social media users.
- The AI misinterpreted regional British terms, generating images of 'bacon and egg soda' (confusing soda with soda bread) and 'chip muffins' (confusing chip butties with baked goods).
- A Just Eat spokesperson stated the company is removing the incorrect images and pausing new AI generation until the technology is further developed.
- The platform works with tens of thousands of small restaurants, typically funding professional photographers, but trialled AI-enhanced images to showcase food lacking visual assets.
- The incident illustrates the broader difficulty companies face when using AI to automate content creation, where regional linguistic nuances can lead to significant visual errors.
- Supporters and critics alike noted that while AI speeds up image generation, it remains imperfect in understanding local culinary terminology without extensive context.
Just Eat, the UK-based online food delivery service, has issued an apology following widespread social media ridicule over a series of AI-generated food images. The platform had been testing artificial intelligence technology to create visual assets for menu items that lacked professional photography. However, the AI struggled with regional British culinary terminology, resulting in bizarre and humorous misinterpretations that quickly went viral.
Among the most notable errors were images depicting bacon and eggs floating in a glass of cola, a confusion between the word "soda" and "soda bread," and chips poking out of muffins, a misreading of the Manchester term "chip muffin" or "chip butty." These visual glitches highlighted the limitations of current AI models when dealing with localized language and specific cultural food references.
A spokesperson for Just Eat explained that the company works with tens of thousands of small restaurants, often funding professional local photographers for their imagery. The AI trial was intended to supplement these efforts by generating images for items that did not yet have visuals. The spokesperson acknowledged that "as with any new technology, it isn't always quite right the first time" and confirmed that the firm is in the process of removing the incorrect images.
The company has decided to pause the creation of new AI-generated images until the technology is further refined. This move underscores the ongoing challenges businesses face when integrating AI into customer-facing operations. While AI offers speed and cost efficiency, the incident demonstrates that without careful contextual training, it can produce results that confuse rather than clarify, potentially impacting brand perception and user trust.
Sources
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