Just Eat has apologised after AI-generated images of food items on its platform produced bizarre and inaccurate results, sparking a social media backlash. The delivery service had been testing technology intended to create pictures of dishes not yet photographed, but the tool generated a series of unusual images, including a 'bacon and egg' dish that appeared in a glass of beer.
AI Tool Creates Unusual Food Images
Among the images shared online were a 'jalapeño cheese' block with whole slices of jalapeño embedded, a 'ham and cheese wrap' containing cubes of raw ham and cheese in an untoasted tortilla, and a literal 'jacket potato' – a jacket covered in images of potatoes. These images circulated on social media, drawing reactions from users.
One Instagram user commented on the jacket potato image: 'That potato jacket looks absolutely delicious.' Another user questioned the usefulness of AI images, writing: 'I don’t understand. Who wants AI images of a restaurant’s food even if they looked closer to what the dish should be? I want to see what the dish actually looks like as it helps me decide who to order from or what to order; plus these “perfect” AI versions just lead to disappointment if that’s what you think your meal will look like.'
Social Media Reactions
Other users shared their own experiences. One wrote: 'A place local to me has a burger labelled “just cheese” and the pic is a slice of cheese on a plate.' Another said: 'This is hilarious. Our local chippy had pictures of scallops (the crustacean variety) for scallops (the sliced potato variety). I thought that can’t be right for a chippy in the scrag end of Liverpool.'
All AI-generated images on the app carry a label marking them as such. A Just Eat spokesperson said the company was 'in the process of removing' the images and would pause creating more until the AI system was further developed. They added: 'We want partners on our platform to show photos that accurately reflect their dishes so that our customers can be confident in what they are ordering and happy when their food arrives.'
Just Eat's Response
The spokesperson continued: 'We work with tens of thousands of small restaurants on their food imagery, including funding professional local photographers. We’ve been trialling AI-enhanced images, which are clearly labelled as such, and as with any new technology, it isn’t always quite right the first time. We’re in the process of removing any inaccurate images that have been posted, and have paused rolling this out while we further develop the tool to ensure it best serves our partners and customers.'
They noted: 'The number of inaccurate images is incredibly small, though we are aware of many examples now circulating on social media which were not developed by our tool.' Just Eat has paused the rollout of the AI tool while it works to improve the technology.
