Small Businesses Put AI Menu Images on Display as 119,000-Like Backlash Builds
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Sep 1
Small Businesses Put AI Menu Images on Display as 119,000-Like Backlash Builds
3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Sep 1
Summary
AI-generated food images are increasingly appearing on menus at bodegas, cafes and restaurants, sometimes advertising dishes that do not exist and showing surreal or disturbing visuals.
Cheaper image tools and stubborn inflation are driving the shift, with researchers saying many family-run establishments are operating on shoestring budgets and using AI graphics to cut design costs.
The practice is already bringing real-world fallout: a San Francisco coffee shop paid hundreds of dollars to remove graffiti tied to its AI-generated facade images.
Designers say small-business and DIY work has plunged as clients turn to AI first, then seek costly fixes when files or image quality fail.
A broader anti-AI mood is also emerging — a Wyoming soda fountain's pledge to avoid AI promotion drew 119,000 likes, while employee sentiment and some publishers have turned more negative.