AI-generated food imagery leaves diners with an unsettling sense of uniformity

Restaurant menus increasingly feature AI-generated illustrations that look overly polished and symmetrical, triggering a visceral unease in customers. According to Reality Defender CTO Alex Lisle, these images stem from models trained on a narrow, dated aesthetic, often resembling 2015-era chain restaurant menus. The phenomenon highlights a broader issue where AI training data leads to a homogenized, artificial look that fails to capture the authentic essence of food.