Is AI-Generated Food Writing in Poor Taste?
When the large language model ChatGPT took the world by storm, I watched the sky for signs of my copywriting career’s downfall. Fortunately, it soon became my brainstorming assistant who walks with me through the valley of the shadow of deadlines. Yet the more I’ve experimented with AI-generated writing, the more it’s reminded me of an artificial sweetener. It can sweeten your coffee, but it isn’t sugar.
I would know, because I moonlight as Ms. Freezle, a mad ice cream scientist! As I whip up whimsical flavors and names, I’ve noticed pieces of my mom emerging in me. In college, her worst transgression was momentarily shedding her Southern Baptist sensibilities to steal a watermelon so she and her friends could “crack it open in the middle of the road like coyotes!” This story planted the seed for my watermelon-mint popsicle, “The Seedy Smuggler.” What might ChatGPT name it? After I fed it the tale, it spit out these, uh, standouts: “Heist-ory in the Making Melon Pops” and “Minty Melon Larceny Licks.” Wow.
How would AI fare with flavor? It can’t taste, but much like Splenda, its writing leaves an aftertaste. Can you sense it? Test your chops on these blurbs, then flip this page upside down for the answers:
Human or AI?
Tucker’s Onion Burger
A: “Every part of the experience is special. The retro diner atmosphere is perfect for a date night with my wife. The burgers are hot with crispy onions piled high. The fries come in a paper envelope, but don’t be fooled: It packs a substantial portion of potatoes!”
B: “Imagine biting into a juicy, perfectly cooked beef patty bursting with delicious caramelized onions. The toasted bun and gooey melted cheese make each bite a flavor explosion.”
The Study, Gassier Cotes du Rhone Wine
A: “It has a fruit-forward body and herbal tasting notes. If you want to sip, savor, and dissect its flavor profile, you can, but it’s smooth enough to throw back a few glasses with friends.”
B: “From your first sip of this medium to full-bodied wine, you’ll notice well-balanced tannins and flavors of fruit, spices, and herbs.”
Cafe Antigua, Huevos Motuleño
A: “After one bite, my tastebuds danced with the crunchy tortilla, tender eggs, and creamy beans. The tangy tomato sauce, fresh avocado, and crumbled queso fresco made each mouthful a delight.”
B: “The handmade corn tortilla provides a sturdy base for the refried beans and eggs, the chirmol adds a flavorful burst, the avocado adds creamy richness, and the chips add a satisfying crunch!
I quickly noticed that humans tend to connect tastes to lived experiences, but ChatGPT can mimic these “experiences” when prompted. Its “stories” are just the mathematical average of millions of stories, though. It can’t tell its own — or mine — because it hasn’t lived. It can’t grasp the magic of Tucker’s fresh, made-to-order fries because it’s never suffered through cold, stale ones. It can create smoothie recipes, but it can’t evaluate ingredient ratios because, unlike me, it’s never destroyed a blender. It hasn’t sipped a chai latte from Aspen Coffee, either, so it can’t confirm if my “Sweet Chai of Mine” flavor hits the mark. And it can’t see the mischievous twinkle in my mom’s eye when she talks about that water-melon. In the age of AI, this is what will give us — and our stories — staying power.
Answer Key:
Tucker’s – A: Human, B: AI
The Study – A: Human, B: AI
Cafe Antigua – Trick question! Both AI!
