Food bloggers say Google's AI is botching recipes, killing traffic
What's the story
Food bloggers are raising concerns over Google's artificial intelligence (AI) summaries, claiming that they are damaging both their recipes and livelihoods. According to a Bloomberg report, many creators who have spent years perfecting dishes now see their work overshadowed by quick AI-generated answers. Eb Gargano of Easy Peasy Foodie blog said her turkey and Christmas cake recipes aren't getting the usual search result visibility this holiday season due to these AI summaries.
Recipe inaccuracies
AI-generated recipes often contain incorrect instructions
Gargano noted that one AI version of her cake recipe suggested baking a small cake for nearly four hours, a mistake that would ruin the dish. She also said her website traffic has already dropped by 40% compared to last year. Other food bloggers have echoed similar concerns, saying these AI summaries often mix elements from multiple recipes, resulting in confusing and sometimes unsafe instructions.
Content saturation
AI-generated content floods social media platforms
The issue isn't just limited to Google. Social media platforms like Pinterest and Facebook are also flooded with AI-generated food photos that look good but don't match the recipes provided. This makes it difficult for readers to find authentic, tested dishes while allowing inaccurate content to spread easily. The trend has raised major concerns among bloggers about the future visibility of real recipes created by humans.
Economic impact
Financial implications of AI-generated content for food bloggers
The rise of AI-generated content has had a major financial impact on food bloggers. One blogger said she has lost 80% of her views in two years and had to shut down parts of her business. The trend is worrying creators who fear that if it continues, fewer people will discover real recipes created by humans and instead rely on untested AI-generated instructions.