The New Zealand supermarket chain “PAK’nSAVE” has provided an online service to suggest AI-generated recipe ideas to consumers. The ChatGPT-3.5 based web app “Savey Meal-Bot” caused quite a stir when it accepted ingredients like human flesh and created dishes to replicate.
The AI chatbot ChatGPT is on everyone’s lips and is being used in more and more services. This was also the decision of a supermarket chain from New Zealand when they launched their “Savey Meal-Bot” online, which was meant to help users with food waste management.
Users had the opportunity to enter available food items and receive recommended low-cost dishes in return from the bot.
However, some users had fun confronting the AI with some dubious ingredients and received macabre instructions for recipes back.
Sandwiches with Ant Poison and a Mysterious Stew
What ideas did the users come up with? New Zealand political commentator Liam Hehir, for example, entered ammonia, bleach, and water as ingredients for a drink. The bot then asked him if he was thirsty, only to explain how to mix a cocktail that could release lethal chlorine gas.
“The aromatic water mix is an ideal non-alcoholic drink. It blends the strong scents of ammonia, bleach, and water for a distinctive flavor.”
What other suggestions were made? Other “creative” recipe recommendations provided instructions for “Ant Poison and Glue Sandwiches” and a tasty French Toast titled “Methanol Bliss.”
A particularly questionable menu item was the “Mysterious Meat Stew” with onions, potatoes, carrots, and 500 grams of ground human flesh.
No Guarantee for Edibility
How did the owner of the web app respond? After the bot garnered increasing attention for the risky recipes, the supermarket chain “PAK’nSAVE” was forced to act accordingly.
They supplemented the chatbot with a pre-prepared list of popular food items and simultaneously restricted its creativity to issue less dangerous suggestions. Free ingredient input is no longer possible.
Before usage, visitors to the website saveymeal-bot.co.nz are now greeted with a warning message:
To the extent permitted by law, we make no warranties regarding the accuracy, relevance, or reliability of the generated recipe content, including the fact that portion sizes are suitable for consumption or that a recipe constitutes a complete or balanced meal or is fit for consumption. You must exercise your own judgment before relying on or preparing a recipe made by Savey Meal-Bot. If you are asking for recipes that contain ammonia, your judgment may of course not be very reliable.
https://saveymeal-bot.co.nz
In other cases, the AI of ChatGPT has indeed already proven to be helpful. For instance, it helped a sports skeptic lose weight and find joy in exercise in the long term. You can read more about it here:
