AI-generated food menus face consumer backlash

The increasing use of generative AI to create restaurant menus and food advertisements is drawing significant consumer backlash. Users have reported encountering images that appear ‘too perfect,’ ‘rubbery,’ or ‘uncanny,’ leading to a phenomenon some have dubbed the ‘AI flyer epidemic.’

Experts suggest the issue stems from the way diffusion models and large language models are trained. Alex Lisle, CTO of Reality Defender, notes that these models often rely on a narrow, hyper-symmetrical aesthetic that can result in ‘Lovecraftian food horrors’—images that look almost real but feel fundamentally wrong. This aesthetic often mimics older, standardized commercial photography, creating a sense of repetitive sameness.

Psychologists, including Alexander Diel from the University of Duisburg-Essen, highlight that humans are naturally sensitive to visual cues in food due to the biological necessity of identifying safe, edible items. When AI-generated images appear slightly ‘off,’ it can trigger a sense of distrust or even physical aversion. This has led some consumers to view AI-generated marketing as a sign of low quality or ‘false advertising,’ with some opting to patronize businesses that use traditional photography instead.