Restaurants are using AI images of food, and the results often look repulsive
Restaurants and food brands are increasingly replacing food photographs with AI-generated images that, according to The Verge, often look distorted and repulsive – with strange textures, holes and unnatural shapes.
According to an article in The Verge, more and more restaurants, cafés and food brands are replacing food photographs with AI-generated images, with results that are often visually poor or even repulsive. The source describes specific examples: “donut shrimp”, Reuben sandwiches that look like something from the depths of the sea, worm-like noodles, baked goods resembling noodles and stringy chicken.
Other cases mentioned include ice cream that looks like building material or a human brain, a deformed hamburger that the article's author declines to describe in detail, and a burrito with a hole-filled texture resembling worms that triggers a trypophobic reaction. According to the source, these images typically feature lumps, holes and generally unnatural, distorted food shapes.
You can find details in the source article.
Why it matters
For restaurant operators and marketing teams, this poses a concrete risk: poor-quality AI-generated content can damage brand credibility among customers who share and comment on such images on social media as cautionary examples. Companies considering cutting costs by switching from professional food photography to AI generation should expect to need thorough reviews of the outputs before publication.
Relevant practical impact
What this means
For a business
Restaurants, cafés and food brands that use AI-generated images of food without reviewing them risk damaging brand perception and customer trust because of visibly distorted and unappetizing results.
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Event sources
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