A new study showed that the images of food created by artificial intelligence can raise feelings of discomfort in some people, highlighting questions about the readiness of this technology to replace traditional photography of food in ads.
Artificial intelligence has made great progress in generating realistic images, including food photos. While some of the newly born images appear attractive and delicious, others raise a strange and uncomfortable feeling for viewers.
According to a report published by “News Medical”, an upcoming study seeks to understand the reason why some people feel annoyed when watching pictures of artificial intelligence, especially those that are somewhat realistic, but they are not fully realistic.
The study, which is scheduled to be published in the magazine “APPETITE” during the month of April, included the participation of 95 people, who were shown 38 photos, varied between real food pictures, fully or distorted artificial intelligence pictures, and artificial food in a cartoon or exaggerated style, in addition to corrupt food images.
Participants were asked to evaluate the images according to three criteria, which are the degree of strangeness, a sense of warmth, and the extent of realism, and they were allowed to fill a questionnaire about the level of their food awe, which is a tendency to reject or hesitate to try new and unfamiliar foods.
The researchers used statistical analysis models to study data, and focused on how the degree of realism affects the perception of strangeness or relief. The results showed that the images of food that seem partially realistic but contain slight distortions were the most uncomfortable. On the other hand, the images that were completely realistic, or those that were clearly synthetic (cartoon or artistic stamp) showed higher levels of acceptance.
These results indicate that the human brain interacts better with images that are either completely realistic or clear, but it finds it difficult to deal with “semi -real” images that contain incomplete or illogical details.
It is noticeable that the participants who showed higher levels of food were more likely to feel uncomfortable when watching incomplete artificial food. On the other hand, the disgusting food had no significant effect on the results. According to “News Medical”, the study also revealed a sudden result, which is that individuals with a higher body mass index were more acceptable to the food pictures created by artificial intelligence.
These results carry important indications of the sectors that depend on food photography for marketing and advertising purposes. Although artificial intelligence shows promising possibilities in generating alternative images of traditional photography, current technology is still facing challenges. If the images of food generated by artificial intelligence are used in advertisements or digital lists, they should be carefully designed to avoid the feelings of the audience’s discomfort. Any simple optical error may turn the image from an element of attraction to a cause of aversion.
