Just Eat Apologises After AI Food Mistakes Spark Social Media Ridicule

Online food delivery platform Just Eat has issued an apology following widespread online ridicule over a series of bizarre mistakes generated by an experimental AI food tool. The company had been testing artificial intelligence technology to showcase restaurant menu items that lacked official photographs, but the rollout quickly went awry.

According to the BBC, the automated system invented surreal culinary concoctions due to misinterpretations of regional terminology and spelling. Among the most discussed errors was a Belfast cafe menu item featuring bacon and egg soda bread, which the AI interpreted literally by placing a cooked egg and bacon floating inside a glass of cola. In another instance, chips poking straight out of muffins appeared after the system seemingly wrestled with regional phrasing, while a simple cheese roll was transformed into slabs of cheese rolled up like sushi.

AI Food Mistakes Lead to Just Eat Apology and Pause

In response to the viral social media backlash, a Just Eat spokesperson confirmed that the firm was actively removing the incorrect pictures. The company also announced it was pausing the rollout of the technology while the AI undergoes further development.

“We work with tens of thousands of small restaurants on their food imagery, including funding professional local photographers,” the Just Eat spokesperson stated to the BBC. “We’ve been trialling AI-enhanced images, and as with any new technology, it isn’t always quite right the first time.”

The gaffes highlighted broader challenges corporations face when attempting to leverage automated tools to simplify operations. Users on platforms like Reddit and Instagram shared numerous examples, including garlic bread shaped like an airplane due to a misspelling of the word ‘plain’. Any pictures generated by the system on the app featured a label indicating they were created using artificial intelligence.

Consumer Skepticism Over AI in Delivery Apps

While many internet users found the unintended creations amusing, the incident also sparked debate regarding the utility of AI in food delivery. Some consumers questioned the value of artificial visuals altogether, noting that they prefer seeing actual photographs of meals to gauge portions and quality before ordering.

Just Eat stated that it would halt further image creation through the tool until the technology is refined, relying on traditional photography methods for its partner restaurants in the interim.

Source: Just Eat apologises for AI food mistakes after social media ridicule (source-feed timestamp 2026-10-21T17:04:13+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.