The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) knows no limits. One of the latest trends in this emerging technology is using its capabilities to generate images for restaurant menus. However, some patrons are pushing back on this use of the technology, calling it "AI food slop" that makes the stomach turn. Why are so many people turned off? Read on.

Use of AI-Generated Food Images Making Stomachs Turn

You may have noticed that some fast food and quick service restaurants are replacing the traditional menu pictures with AI-generated images. While the use of these high-tech images may be easier for owners and managers to roll out and update, some customers are expressing concern that they are too hyperrealistic to the point that it suppresses the appetite.

The trend of restaurants using AI-generated food menu images first started with flyers and other designs that used this technology. Rather than using more traditional advertisements, business owners have realized that they can pump out AI-generated images for a fraction of the price. Not only are the designs easier to produce and customize, but they also do not require manpower to generate.

Critics of the trend say that the AI-generated images are generic and unappetizing. The backlash has been so severe that the term "AI food slop" is a trending topic.

While the outrage is notable, it is hard to argue that the internet is not obsessed with the trend. For instance, a post on X of a menu with the caption "This is genuinely one of the worst AI shop horror food menus I’ve ever seen" has garnered nearly two million views. The post not only generated comments of disgust, but it also prompted a slew of similar posts from other X users sharing pictures of the so-called AI slop menus.  

Psychologists are not surprised by the obsession. Even when images are obviously fake, the brain has a hard time deciding between "approach and avoidance." In other words, you may have the urge to look away at the same time your brain is trying to make sense of the clearly unreal image.

How AI Food Slop Triggers Trypophobia

For some restaurant patrons, the images are more than just stomach-turning. People who suffer from a condition known as trypophobia can have an even more severe reaction. A fear of repeated textures, holes, and other types of patterns marks this rare condition.

These kinds of visceral reactions have a place in nature, helping humans to inherently avoid disease, illness, and contamination. While anybody may be put off by the AI-generated images because of these repeated patterns, sufferers of trypophobia may find it debilitating to look at the images.

Even for those who do not have noticeable reactions to the food slop, many find the images annoying. This annoyance has prompted people to speak out against the use of AI in generating these images, following the general concern that many have for AI as an emerging technology.
 
A Pew Research Center survey in August found that 55% of adults under the age of 30 report being more concerned than excited about AI. These results are in line with a YouGov poll in July that found that 7 out of 10 adults believed that technology companies wield too much power in today's society.

Food photographers are particularly worried about the increasing use of AI-generated images in this industry. These professional photographers are easily able to discern the real pictures from the images made using AI. The experts also note that while the human brain might not be able to point to exactly what it is that is unappealing about the image, there is an innateness in the body that sends the message that something is not right about the food. In addition, customers tend to want to see images of food that are an accurate representation of what they will be served.

While it is undoubtedly more expensive to hire a professional food photographer to take pictures of menu items, trying to cut corners to reduce costs is not going to help if it turns off the customers. Like many aspects of the AI sector, the backlash against these images could be strong enough that those in the industry start to pull back on their use.

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