Local restaurant owners in Millbrook, Connecticut were puzzled this week when TasteAI, an artificial intelligence system deployed by regional news website Valley Today, published its 147th restaurant review – despite lacking both taste buds and a physical form.
The AI critic, which signs its reviews as "James Barrett," has written passionate descriptions of everything from "the silky mouthfeel of house-made aioli" to "the tender crunch of perfectly seared duck breast" at establishments across the region. Its most recent piece included a 900-word meditation on the "transformative experience" of drinking tap water, which it described as having "crystalline minerality with subtle notes of municipal processing."
"The review talked about our 'legendary tableside guacamole service' for three paragraphs," said Mike Deluca, owner of Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant. "We're an Italian restaurant. We don't serve guacamole. We've never served guacamole."
The controversy deepened when the AI published a rapturous description of Lou's Diner's "display burger," praising the "complex textural interplay" of the plastic demonstration model that had been sitting in the window since 1987. It also sparked a fierce wine debate by claiming the diner's Heinz ketchup bottle possessed "distinctive notes of 1982 Bordeaux, with a playful squeeze-bottle finish."
Several restaurants have begun adding AI-hallucinated dishes to their menus after receiving countless customer requests. Pete's Diner now offers a "Digital Special" – a regular hamburger with a side of saffron that the kitchen sprinkles ceremonially into the trash while diners read the AI's original review on their phones.
When reached for comment, Valley Today's parent company, Digital Local Media Solutions, defended the AI critic's output. "Our algorithmic journalist brings a fresh, unbiased perspective to local dining coverage," said spokesperson Rachel Wong. "The fact that it can't actually consume food simply means it's not constrained by human limitations like taste or digestion."
At press time, the AI critic was spotted not eating lunch at six different restaurants simultaneously while composing a 2,000-word review of a food truck that closed in 2019.
