MP Seeks Warnings on AI Food Images

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A proposal to stop restaurants fooling diners with sloppy AI-generated food pictures has been lodged by MP Maryam Al Dhaen.

It would force eateries to place a clear warning beside any computer-made image used on menus or food delivery apps.

Ms Al Dhaen said such pictures were now so lifelike that customers could struggle to tell them from real photographs.

The result, she said, was that diners could order one thing and receive something that looked far worse when it reached their door.

‘Burgers appear taller, meat looks juicier and portions seem larger on screen,’ she said.

She said trust was being chipped away as diners grew more wary of slick pictures that made meals look bigger, richer and better than they were.

Some customers could feel cheated, she added, while the use of fake food shots could also suggest that a restaurant was cutting corners instead of spending money on the quality of its dishes.

The proposal asks where the line should be drawn when a picture sits beside the name of a meal, its price and an order button.

The move rests on Article 6 of Bahrain’s Consumer Protection Law No 35 of 2012.

The law says sellers and advertisers must give true details about the nature and features of a product and must not create a false or misleading impression.

It also bars adverts that leave buyers mistaken or confused.

Though the law does not name generative AI, its wording could cover pictures that give a false view of a meal’s size, look or contents.

The proposal also points to rules used in Japan, where food adverts and packaging are judged by the impression they leave as a whole.

Pictures and drawings can breach the rules when they make food look far better than it is.

A small note saying an image is for illustration may carry little weight when the main picture still leads buyers to expect something they will not receive.