AI is knocking. Are you listening yet?
No, AI can’t taste food. But it can pretend to, and it’s already got us fooled.
On this day, mid-2024, no one needs me to highlight the rampant pace of nefarious disinformation on the internet, something that seems to be increasing amid high political stakes and rapidly maturing artificial intelligence. But I will highlight the results of a study from the Yale School of Management that found people have trouble telling the difference between human- and AI-generated restaurant reviews.
A Yale professor of organizational behavior fed Yelp reviews to GPT-4 (from the generative AI product ChatGPT). Then he asked the AI to imitate the reviews and… people were more likely to believe that the robot reviews were real. Per restaurant critic Pete Wells in the New York Times, this phenomenon has a name: AI hyperrealism.
There’s surely a joke in there somewhere — the fact that a computer can write a more passable Yelp review than an actual Yelp reviewer is… humorous. And, hey, I’m not anti-AI that helps people improve their writing and reviewing skills, should Yelp or others ever initiate an AI reviewing assist.
What I’m more concerned about is the way that AI might covertly shape the future of hospitality. I’ve written about this already in the context of online discovery, after details of Google’s fiercely protected search algorithm leaked:
There is no way to know —barring another major Google algorithm leak, of course — how new technology will affect the way we search for local businesses online. This feels both scary, given continued uncertainty in the hands of our tech overlords, and opportunistic. Deals, partnerships, integrations, and optimizations in restaurant technology should continue to please Google’s EEAT metric on behalf of restaurants, assuming Google doesn’t move the goalposts.
That is to say, we’re all in a vast phase of experimentation and iteration, including the AI companies, flush with billions of dollars in investment or market cap, racing to build the best and most lucrative product. Again, innovation is not the worst thing… except it seems these companies aren’t exactly playing by the rules.
Last month, Reuters reported that multiple generative AI companies are circumventing a well-known and accepted web standard that publishers use to prevent bots from scraping their content. That is: they are using technology to break the rules for their own gain… exploiting writers and media outlets. It is just the latest in move-fast-and-break-things / ask-for-forgiveness-not-permission / the-horse-is-out-of-the-barn-anyway arguments that big tech puts forward in cases where they end up doing something they know they’re not supposed to do.
The sky is not yet falling, and it’ll be on Yelp and other review sites to flag issues that come up when AI-generated content floods the zone. My point is, perhaps for the first time, the same as the Times’ Wells:
The robots will be invited to read over our shoulders, alert us when we’ve used the same adjective too many times, nudge us toward a more active verb. The machines will be our teachers, our editors, our collaborators. They’ll even help us sound human.
Well this is exciting!
Expedite and my baby podcast, The Simmer, are part of the Meez Network, a small but powerful group of podcasters and publishers creating and sharing interesting and informative content about the future of hospitality. My peers include Andrew Friedman, host of Andrew Talks to Chefs, the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast, and Industry Only at the Cheese Store, co-hosted by fellow journalist Andy Wang.
(As a disclosure: Meez is a restaurant technology company that falls under my coverage purview. I am not compensated nor paying for this inclusion.)
What else?
Delivery drivers got higher wages. Now they’re getting fewer orders. When some jurisdictions passed minimum wage laws for couriers, third-party delivery services warned this would happen. Now it’s playing out exactly how they said it would, but… who’s fault is it? And what’s the correct next move? — Wall Street Journal
LOL it will never end! Remember the Chipotle TikTok debacle around portion sizes? It was one of the wilder tech-adjacent restaurant stories this year, involving customer walkouts, employee filming, and a plea from Chipotle’s CEO to… just, stop. But there’s more! A Wells Fargo analyst and his team ordered and weighed 75 burrito bowls from eight different New York City Chipotle locations. They found that portion consistency varied wildly. On the extremes, one bowl weighed double what the lightest bowl weighed. I fear this is far from over; can’t wait for Chipotle’s second-quarter earnings report! — CNN
Yelp released new accessibility features. Touted as a way to “help people with disabilities connect with local restaurants,” it includes digital features like AI-generated alternate text descriptions for photos and improved color contrast. It also includes new business attributes for restaurants and other businesses to self-identify as ASL proficient, with no steps or stairs, and offering Braille menus, among other enhancements. — Yelp
Why are accessibility improvements a win for all restaurant customers? My professional colleague and friend-of-Expedite, Gloria Dawson, explains in her thorough coverage of the topic from last month. — Nation’s Restaurant News
OpenTable’s female, Asian American executive team is profiled in Inc. magazine. We love to see a strong female leadership highlight. Expedite supports women in restaurant technology! — Inc.
Kernel, New York City’s plant-based robot restaurant from Chipotle founder Steve Ells, is getting a makeover. It’s closed the original Park Avenue South location for a refresh just a few months after opening, and that’s probably for the best. The space is going to “feel a bit more like a restaurant,” according to Kernel president Stephen Goldstein, including a warmer color scheme and indoor seating. Here’s some initial feedback on the move from anyone who’s been inside the sterile, green inaugural location: Thank you. — Ottomate
Is there any study on food waste at Chipotle or other chain? I would be curious to know how many people are not finishing their bowl because the portion is too big. I go to Chipotle almost once a week (I just love chicken and rice…) and honestly I would be happy if the portion was smaller and the price cheaper.