JustEat apologises over AI menu pictures including bacon and eggs floating in cola

AI menu images generated by Just Eat have sparked confusion among customers, including a sausage soda bread dish sold by one cafe that was illustrated by a pint of cola with meat floating in it.

The food delivery app has been using AI to generate images where restaurants haven’t taken their own photographs of food. The app tags each photo on the menu as “AI-generated” if it has used the tool to create the image.

In many instances, the AI-generated photos have correctly imagined full English breakfasts or generic looking curries, but where the AI has gone wrong, customers have shared their bemusement on social media.

Salt and pepper chips, a delicacy found in many Chinese takeaways, which normally includes fried onions, chilli and peppers, was rendered as blandly seasoned potato snacks for a number of caterers. The option of cheddar cheese in the vegetarian section of one cafe’s menu was turned into an orange fondue-like sauce.

One X user reshared a photo of AI-generated salt and pepper chips, warning: “I swear if my salt and pepper chips come like this I’m going to cause murder”.

Meanwhile, one restaurant in Northern Ireland offering a range of soda breads was given photos that appeared to show sausages, bacon and fried eggs floating in pints of fizzy drinks rather than the popular Irish breakfast sandwiches.

The AI-generated images were part of a trial from Just Eat, which has now been paused after customers clocked onto some of the stranger artificial images on the app.

A Just Eat spokesperson said, "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. 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 and as with any new technology, it isn't always quite right the first time. We're sorry for any inaccurate images that have been posted. We're in the process of removing them and have paused rolling this out while we further develop the tool to ensure it best serves our partners and customers."