Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal announced on Sunday that the platform will be removing AI-generated food images from its listings after receiving a wave of customer complaints. Users raised concerns that these images, which were meant to make dishes look more appealing, were actually misleading.
Goyal addressed the issue in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he acknowledged the complaints and explained that the AI-generated images had caused a “breach of trust” between customers and restaurants. This mistrust led to an increase in refunds and lower customer ratings.
Although Zomato uses AI in various parts of its operations, Goyal emphasized that the company is against using AI for food images. “We utilize AI to streamline many of our processes at Zomato, but when it comes to dish images on restaurant menus, we are strongly opposed to using AI,” he said.
Zomato plans to remove all AI-generated images from menus by the end of the month and will no longer accept new submissions of such images. Goyal also urged restaurant partners and Zomato’s marketing team to stop using AI-generated images for promotional content.
Instead, Goyal encouraged restaurant owners to take advantage of Zomato’s free real food photography service. He suggested, “If you haven’t yet invested in authentic food photos for your menu, please contact our catalogue support team to schedule a photoshoot.” He clarified that this service is offered at cost to partners, and Zomato does not profit from it.
This move reflects the growing concern about the ethical implications of AI-generated content, especially in areas where authenticity is crucial. Zomato’s decision aims to rebuild trust and provide a more transparent experience for its users.
The announcement follows Zomato’s strong financial performance in Q1 FY25, where the company reported a 74% increase in revenue year-on-year and a 126% rise in net profit.
