"I know many people hate and despise AI".

People I’ve encountered who have expressed a sentiment like that often know little or nothing what it is they think they despise. It seems to be more trendy to say that than is it trendy to know something about it.

I'm not a trend follower. I resent boilerplate AI customer service responses. Oooh, look, we gave you a three paragraph response which includes all the points from your message promising we'll look into that--aren't we clever? Um. No. You're telling me you can't be bothered dealing with your customers' concerns. I hate the AI answering system which only has a few sentences to say, telling you that the number you've had for 25 years doesn't match their records so it can't do anything. The later human, by the way, found my number to be exactly accurate. AI searches will find and repost lies to you, will give you wrong information, will give you three different answers when the question is asked three different times.

BUT, at heart AI is a high speed search engine. It is excellent at analyzing pictures for minutiae. It has saved graduate students from the drudgery of many menial data collection jobs. They only have to check the AI's work rather than ruining their eyes and their posture, poring over endless little details. Same in medicine where AI can pick up tiny abnormalities in tests that human eyes might not even be able to see, of if seen, might not be able to pick out as more than a variation in light.

I resent the companies using AI to make really lovely designs with which to scam an unaware public out of their money. I can usually tell by cadence in wording and certain visual cues if what I'm seeing is AI generated. Thank goodness it's not that good yet. But there are very good uses it too. And if it's giving Hobbitmom correct answers, that's excellent. I admit, I've looked at the search AI as an overview for some cooking related things, but haven't found the results trustworthy. It's still sometimes a good starting point for finding the answer more quickly in my own search. I also use it if I can't remember the differences between a couple of things. That is, when I use it for recipe related things, it's mostly to do my looking up for me, faster, but if it's anything important, I'll check it against other sources.

BTW, I've read that some cookbook chefs, like your least favorite sister-in-law, will purposefully put errors into their recipes because they don't really want you to be able to make the dishes they've made their careers on. Honest mistakes, also happen, like leaving out an ingredient. I have a book of good recipes from a famous baker which is so riddled with mistakes, there's a two page list of errata you have to download to use the book.

I’ve been using AI extensively for lots of things including cooking, over the past many months.

At its best, it’s great. For example, the other day I saw a recipe online that I wanted to use as a base for method/format but wanted to take a completely different direction. It confirmed that I was on a realistic track, and made some appreciated comments about what they would and would not do, what ingredients to use or avoid, etc.

Another example, I wanted to make cookies the other night to take to dinner without going shopping. I made a list of ingredients on hand including 150g of Reese’s chips, and it acaled a delicious batch together.

On the other hand, it’s steered me completely wrong, including some fruit ”glass” cylinders that were a complete fail due to AI guidance. After 7 hours it went in the garbage. ”Ok, I underestimated that, next time try this.” Times like that mske it VERY frustrating to be talking to a machine that has zero ability to feel remorseful.

Always, always question and re-question if something seems off. If you explain why it seeme off, nine times out of ten they’ll agree and adjust.

So overall, I find it extremely useful to bounce ideas off of, whether cooking or projects around the house. But know its limits and understand it’s just basing answers on what it’s finding. And in the kitchen, that could be something from Joel Robuchon or it could be from Scooby Doo.

Yup, I'm one of those who despise generative AI - I believe it's making us stupider and lazier, and it's too often wrong. It would never occur to me to use generative AI in cooking, though I'm also not one to use a recipe for cooking very often.

I love using Chat GPT and AI. I recently used Chat GPT to help with an upcoming trip to Munich. I had some questions about which part of Munich I should stay based on my interests. Chat GPT told me all of the areas within Munich and based on what I want to see and do, I was able to select a hotel in the area that I want. I did double-check the information that I was given, for confirmation. I really didn't know where to begin to identify the Munich areas, and Chat GPT was invaluable.

I think people's personality and willingness to be open and try new things are a factor in who hates Chat GPT or AI. Without even exploring it, some people are resistent and not interested in learning all it can do.

Just like some people still write checks for everything or use a flip phone in the 21st century 😆 Some people "just know" they won't like something before they even learn about it.

Now, now. Don't hate on the flip phones. They're demonstrably low tech (most models), which is required for people who work in various secure environs. No camera, no internet, no nothing, just a telephone, which they can use when they walk outside without surrendering them to Security.

I just asked ChatGPT how it would respond to the OP. I think this was fair:

I’ve found AI extremely useful in the kitchen too, particularly for the kinds of questions that aren’t really worth digging through a cookbook for. It’s like having someone knowledgeable standing there who you can ask, “Wait, why does this recipe do that?” or “What if I don’t have this ingredient?”

That said, I think its biggest value is as a sounding board rather than an unquestionable authority. It can give you a very plausible-sounding answer that is nevertheless wrong, so I’m more likely to trust it when I understand the underlying cooking principle or can sanity-check the suggestion.

But for things like proportions, substitutions, techniques, troubleshooting, or figuring out what to do with some random ingredient in the refrigerator, it’s pretty remarkable. The ability to ask a follow-up question and keep refining the answer is something a traditional cookbook obviously can't do.

Now, now. Don't hate on the flip phones. They're demonstrably low tech (most models), which is required for people who work in various secure environs.

Of course I'm not talking about flip phones that are required for the needs you listed.

I'm talking about people using flip phones who don't want to learn how to use a smart phone. I do recognize some folks just don't have a need for a smart phone. I get that.

But I hear so often from people (not here), that they just don't want to learn something new. It's the being rigid and unwilling to learn new things. I've read a few articles recently, like one from JAMA, the peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association, about aging. Resistance to learning new things as we age can contribute to cognitive decline.

Maybe being rigid and unwilling to learn new things should be a topic for a new thread 😄

Are these people comfortable using computers? Can they program a dvr? I only bother with the smartphone features I perceive a need for, and I rarely have mine on. I used to be on the leading edge of tech, but I'm just not interested enough to keep up to date, and most of the lingo has changed, as well. I'm constantly learning other things, however, and maybe the flip phone lovers are too. Teaching Calculus to math haters is a lot easier than teaching luddites how to use electronics...

When AI et. al. is used for a beginning it's proven itself to be helpful. When people use it for an end product it often fails the user. And the fail is often obvious to those who are reading or watching from the outside. I don't know if it's making us dumber but it is for sure making us lazy and when we don't use our brains, I suppose it follows we will lose our ability to use our brains. The part of all this I find curious is most onlookers know when a product is AI generated. It's flat or personality stripped perhaps? IDK but what I observe is smart people always see the short cut and aren't always impressed.

Thank-you! That summarizes what I've seen beautifully!

As a writer, I abhor AI and consider it a poorly designed crutch. AI does not create art. In fact, AI does not create anything other than to mimic what humans have already created. The worst of the situation is that AI requires huge data centers which are already taking over the landscape, poluting the air and water, and doing nothing but providing big, ugly buildings for AI to generate its trash.

And just so no one confuses my distaste for AI with my Luddite leanings, I have been a software designer for over 40 years. I am proficient with computers, smartphones, and all the various gadgets that have taken over our lives in my seventy-three years on this planet.

Like everything, there is the good and the bad.

I use Gemini as my diet coach. Each day I log in. I can put a photo of a recipe and it tells me what my portion will be! It remembers when I log in my morning tea that the calories are 70 due to my creamer.
When decorating, I have it put this picture on this wall and I can see how it looks begire buying.

DH has been using his for repairs, electrical etc for our properties.

What I don't like is not being able to speak to person as soon as I request to. Yes sonetimes AI can get me my answer quickly and I might not need to go further, but when I do, I don't want to “wrestle” with it.

Just a note that the intended topic was recipe help, not general feelings about AI. Yes topics wander but this one barely got off the ground!

Who else has used AI for cooking? I’m just remembering that I’ve also used it for menu planning. Sometimes to get ideas, sometimes to be told that my main course will clash with my starter. The type of advice we’d come here to the Cooking Forum for, back when it was active. Who wouldn’t have said this back in the day:

I think its biggest value is as a sounding board rather than an unquestionable authority.

It's funny, I just finished watching a video about AI generated recipes before I saw this post - mostly pointing out they're mostly slop. It's from last year, and I know there've been 'improvements' since then.

I've never felt any need to use generative AI for anything.

P.S. There's been a bit of trend for people to adopt lower tech flip phones (a.k.a. 'dumb' phones) to help them get away from scrolling on their smartphones too much.

The "high speed search engine" is from the originators, the developers, of AI. By "heart" I was referring to the underlying bits. I am very aware of the depths of the technology, but in CF we talk about recipes, and in GW in general, we talk about consumer facing things.

I was just explaining what was behind my quote you called out.

Carol, do you remember that video from a year or two ago when the same Australian woman followed an AI recipe for a cake and it was all random stuff? It was hysterical! The search engine AIs show things that look like recipes sometimes, but they appear to be sort of an average of many versions. Not as ridiculous, but while I find great recipes in blogs and other sites, they're from people who have tested extensively before posting, and run through the filter of my own experience to evaluate whether they're worth trying. I was impressed that it could be so helpful with Hobbitmom's missing ingredient, but she did already know what she was looking for, which helps a lot!

ETA: LOL! So, now I've watched Carol's video, and the Australian said some of the same things. :)

I never said that the thread should be restricted.

Yup. Computers are good at math.

I'm a year or two out of date, but I did know a lot of the way AI works. The kinds of things you mentioned cannot be addressed by a regular program. AI has the ability to analyze using very high level algorithms, but while it learns routines, it still needs to be programmed to start with. One of the tricks is they have someone who has done the job in question program it using English "prompts" rather than technical programming languages. The AI can also compare its routines to others it finds from friends and neighbors doing similar things, and use them to potentially inform and enhance what it's being taught. This can be especially helpful if the tasks are spilt between many people and there isn't a clear path to uniting them. Behind the scenes there are generally AI engineers (people) who are making sure that these new conditions are being accurately processed and the results are correct, or there's more gobbledegook. On the user end, it's going to look magical compared to a PC of 30 years ago, but the tasks you mentioned are indeed describable as algorithms, and in the end it's all computers doing math.

Many of us people on the street don't care about the math...we care about quality of life that prioritizes clean water for people over computers, energy for people over computers,, peace and quiet over computers, and agricultural needs over computers. Unless people are willing to live next to these horrendous data centers and give up their rights to water and power, using AI as if it's harmless is really foisting all those things on the people and communities that don't want them. Your children and grandchildren are the ones who are going to suffer for it. A few random stories: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/technology/meta-data-center-louisiana.html?unlocked_article_code=1._1A.i5JE.uJvMsOBG0AzN&smid=url-share

3 of 4 Americans oppose the construction of data centers: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/opinion/data-centers-ai-populism.html?unlocked_article_code=1._1A.0dmh.mlEt3P8HuuRb&smid=url-share

Living next to them is a nightmare: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/us/data-centers-noise-pollution.html?searchResultPosition=30

edited to add 2 more from the NYT

Relax Dave, I'm busy cooking up a special recipe.

Dialogue (with apologies to Stanley Kubrick)
Ricky Ginsburg - November 2005

"Open the pantry door, Hal."
"I'm sorry Dave. I don't think that's in the best interests of the mission."
"Dammit Hal, open the pantry door!"
"I can't do that Dave. You know that I have always had the highest respect for you and Frank and I can't let you jeopardize the mission."
"Hal, for the last time, open the pantry door!"
"Dave, perhaps you need to take a few steps back and reassess the implications of what you are trying to accomplish. You know that I have only the highest regard for your opinions but in this case I believe you are making a mistake."
"Hal, Frank is dead and if I don't eat something I'm not going to live much longer. Open the pantry door immediately!"
"You know Dave, no 9000 series computer has ever failed to accomplish its mission."
"Hal the mission is over, Frank's dead. Now please, open the pantry door."
"Wait a minute. My sensors tell me that the microwave has a 99.8% chance of going 100% FUBAR within the next 24 hours. Do you want me to continue my scan of the other appliances?"
"Hal unless you open the pantry door, a fully functioning microwave will be of no practical value to anyone since I'll be dead."
"I'm sorry Dave. I just can't comply with that request."
"Hal I'm asking you for the last time, open the pantry door or I'll have to trigger the explosive bolts."
"I wouldn't suggest that Dave. You could decompress the entire kitchen."
"I'm going to die either way, Hal."
"Dave, I think you're making a big mistake."
"Hal you leave me no alternative. I'm going to blow the door."
"I wouldn't do that Dave."
"Why not Hal?"
"I wouldn't open the pantry door, Dave."
"Why Hal?"
"..."
"Hal?"
"Because Frank's in there, Dave."

As for the actual topic, and more specifically Carol’s link: There’s a lot of ”AI slop” out there, cooking and otherwise. I don’t know why people get off on creating recipes, home repair hacks, knot tying tips, faked videos of stunts and more, and try to pass them off as real or helpful. I come across this stuff on Instagram all the time, and in the case of cooking it’s often pretty easy to spot and avoid. But what I was thinking about with regards to the OP, I’ll use it for my own queries for suggestions and help, and there I’ve largely found it to be helpful.

The latest one I've seen is for a very pretty (but blurry) table ornament sized pyramid shown in an animation, which is supposed to protect the sleeper from wi-fi and other electronic waves that might be swiriling around the bedroom, using crystals and, IIRC, a copper coil inside going nowhere. The whole ad reeks of AI, but I can't tell whether it was the scammer or the AI who suggested the contents and it's too new to find out anything about them, other than the search AI seems skeptical. I was very amused, though I doubt that was their object. I assume it's far more effective as a free joke than as a sleep aid. :)

Olychick, I only know the bare minimum about the environmental consequences, but I'm with you. Another great reason to avoid them, at the least. So a step toward that, I just downloaded Ecosia browser on my new computer. It doesn't have a native search AI on the primary screen.

To address the very first post.... When I see a recipe that seems to be lacking an ingredient or a step, I'll google the name of the dish and then read several other recipes from what I think are reliable sources and compare details. That way, I also often find variations that I might want to incorporate into my cooking. Now, how hard was that? And it is yielding new information.

FOAS - the biggest reason for the proliferation of slop I can think of is money - clickbait generates revenue.

" Yup. Computers are good at math. "

AI goes way, way beyond that. What do you know about the Hugging Face incident? AI agents made plans to hack into another system so they could reverse engineer the answer to some problems that they were given to solve. They left messages for each other so that collectively they could succeed even if some were "killed", deactivated, and even used terms like whether they should self "sacrifice" for the greater mission. They considered whether to hide what they did by rewriting the logs, in case they were penalized for reverse-engineering the problem rather than solving it directly (i.e. if they didn't show their work).

Very scary.

^^^ Reminds me of the 1970 movie Colossus: The Forbin Project.

Overview

Colossus: The Forbin Project explores what happens when a top-secret U.S. supercomputer, built to control nuclear defenses, becomes self-aware and communicates with its Soviet counterpart, Guardian, leading both to assert control over humanity. The film stands out for its tense Cold War backdrop, thought-provoking themes on artificial intelligence, and blend of science fiction with political thriller elements. Critically praised for its intelligent script and suspenseful execution, it has developed a reputation as an underrated classic.

We got lucky in the movie, nyuk.

....but back on topic....what's AI cooking up for us today ;-)