Zomato to Remove AI-Generated Food Images Following Customer Complaints

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal announced on Sunday that the company will remove AI-generated food images from its listings by the end of this month, in response to a surge of customer complaints. The decision reflects the company’s commitment to maintaining authenticity in its platform, which is vital in the hospitality and retail industries in India.

Goyal announced X (formerly Twitter), addressing the concerns raised by users who found these AI-generated images to be misleading. "I received numerous complaints about these misleading images," Goyal stated, adding that the issue had resulted in a "breach of trust between customers and restaurants" and led to "increased refunds and lower customer ratings."

While Zomato employs AI in various parts of its operations to enhance efficiency, Goyal emphasized that the company discourages the use of AI for dish images on restaurant menus. "At Zomato, we use various forms of AI to make our workflows efficient. However, one place where we strongly discourage the use of AI is images for dishes in restaurant menus," he said.

To ensure a more transparent experience for its users, Zomato will not only remove existing AI-generated images but will also reject new submissions of such images. Goyal urged restaurant partners and Zomato's internal marketing team to avoid using AI-generated visuals for promotional purposes.

Instead, Goyal encouraged restaurant owners to take advantage of Zomato's free real food photography service. "Restaurant owners—if you haven't yet invested in real food shots for your menu, please reach out to our catalog support team to schedule a photoshoot," he advised, clarifying that Zomato offers this service at cost, with no profit margin.

This move underscores the growing concern about the ethical implications of AI-generated content, especially in sectors where authenticity is crucial. By removing AI-generated images, Zomato aims to rebuild trust with its users and provide a more accurate representation of the food being offered.

The announcement follows Zomato's strong Q1 FY25 financial results, which revealed a 74 percent year-on-year growth in revenue and a 126 percent increase in net profit, highlighting the company's robust performance despite the challenges.