How AI generated pictures of food influence us

Califano and Spence studied responses to AI-created pictures of food; their findings can likely be extended to other sorts of AI-generated images. Califano and Spence determined via online surveys that “participants . . . found it very easy to recognize the AI-generated images, particularly in the case of ultra-processed foods. Notably, without disclosure, the AI-generated images were often preferred. At the same time, however, disclosing that a food image was genuine significantly boosted its appeal, whereas the revelation that it had been generated by AI mitigated [reduced] this effect.”

Giovanbattista Califano and Charles Spence. 2024. “Assessing the Visual Appeal of Real/AI-Generated Food Images. Food Quality and Preference, vol. 116, 105149, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2024.105149