AI food images look tastier than the real thing, study shows

Some phones have a setting for photographing food, and yet it's often tricky to make it look realistic, let alone appetising. AI appears to be much better at this. — Photo: Robert Günther/dpa

LONDON: People perceive food depictions in AI-generated images as tastier than real food in photographs, according to scientists at the University of Oxford, who fear this budding technology could one day be used to sell unhealthy food.

"Consumers generally prefer AI-generated images of food over real food images," the university announced, explaining that AI is good at "leveraging" of "key features" of food, such as symmetry, shape, glossiness, lighting and colour.