I feel exactly the same. I work in corporate and we’re encouraged to use AI to write emails and performance reviews. My philosophy is if you used AI to write something, it wasn’t worth writing.
Great article! And thank you for having your recipes accessible. I realize that is how you generate some income but I love all things before Substack everything and I would rather be inspired on Instagram etc and buy the cook books ! Keep it up !
I don’t use AI both because I don’t think it does a good job and also because I think fully engaging our brains is a beautiful and essential skill and if past industrial revolutions have taught us anything it’s that technology absolutely can and will cause skill loss in the population.
Without getting even more depressive about how I think our loss of thinking is the perfect breeding ground for fascism…….I will just say that it was a beautiful breath of fresh air to see you speak out on the value of human creation! It’s wild to me how normalized the acceptance of AI has become and it’s important to be brave about pushing back on it!
Here to say that I appreciate the semrush drive by 😅 working in content marketing, this conversation is indeed always happening in the margins (and can feel so tired), so I appreciate your take. AI can't taste 👏🏼 To answer your question, the first time I used AI for food was yesterday—the end of the week when my brain was fried. I typed in a few rogue ingredients that I didn't want to go to waste before I ordered groceries and asked for ideas to use them up. One idea I ran with. The others just sparked my own ideas. Safe space!
Thanks for a really insightful perspective on food and AI. As a home cook I’ve been thinking about this recently because Google Gemini is beating all the experienced cooks to the punch when I ask for advice (ie, what is a good substitution for rum in an apple cake). I never intentionally use it, but I’m disturbed by easily I unintentionally do so.
As for my intended use of AI, I do occasionally ask Chat GPT to generate a nutrition label or macro count for a recipe I’m making (esp helpful when pregnant and tracking protein, etc). But I know it’s very fallible. That’s not a creative use though, which is why I take the exception.
No AI for me, thanks. I've gotten to the point that I really only look for recipes from already-trusted sites (yours, NYT cooking, a couple of others) because I don't trust google results. Not that it matters, since 95% of the time the ingredients required are not available where I am.
Happy weekend! Thank you for sharing all you do! The egg salad is on the menu for tomorrow’s prep! 🤍🤍 and excited for all the good eats this season brings!
Justine, I've loved following you for years. You truly have a great way with words and I love how you write!!
I have the same thoughts as AI and I hate it but sadly I know the reality of, it's not leaving anytime soon. But you are so right and I wholeheartedly agree. It can't taste. It will never know the intracacies of food. I have truly only used it to convert something from cups to grams, because I know people are always better than computers, maybe for efficiency's sake for data processing and in some other aspects, sure. AI wins that one. But it will never be better than the creativity of humans. ESPECIALLY when it comes to food. It's so personal, and AI doesn't know what personal feels like.
I've used ChatGPT to help with weekly meal plans; if I have ingredients to use up or I'm trying to make sure I'm getting a variety of vitamins & minerals in that week. It's also good with suggesting ingredient substitutions if I run out of something. But I have a lot of experience with ruling out the blatantly bad suggestions, so take that with a grain of salt.
I tried to use AI to generate meal plans for a 100 net carb diet as per my nutritionist (a whopping 20 minute consult) before getting into see the doctor regarding weight loss meds (earliest appointment is December 31 - happy new year?) and the results were laughable at best. Of course it will lead to weight loss because I'll be starving with calorie counts running between 1000 and 1200. So it's still finding finds I like (the roasted salmon bowl is drool worthy) and doing my own research to make it work until NYE.
I use AI when I have made a dish without a recipe that is awesome and I need to organize a proper recipe. I tell it the ingredients and method and I get a nice recipe to save that is all lined up on the page.
I was on a trip with a group of creators and bloggers this week and this same conversation kept coming up—I feel like we all have AI in the back of our minds constantly and it’s so real. I was also shocked to learn how common it is to use AI for all the tasks that come with recipe development, copy/SEO, newsletter writing, etc. and how normalized it is, especially with Google updates making it harder to reach people. I honestly don’t know the right answer but for me, I’m continuing to believe that my audience can see that my work is something AI can’t recreate with the same considerations and creativity and that they appreciate things are tailor-made and thought up by a human being, so I’m staying away from it. Super helpful to read the comments on this post. I do know AI could never rival a Justine Snacks recipe 👏
So well said, Justine! I can certainly see the applications of AI in some fields, but I agree that creative fields should be left to, well, create! There is something so beautiful and inspiring about something written, cooked, or created by a person. You can appreciate all the work and thought that went into it. Firmly on team keep the arts real over here.
Really value this take and I think these conversations are SO important. I am in the “AI IS BAD” camp pretty strongly (for the environment, for our brains, for our creativity), and as a writer, I just refuse to use it. I get the convenience, and I’d rather live my life without convenience at the cost of so many other things!
Anyway, thank you for offering your perspective, I greatly appreciate your recipes and the way you do food. You’ve changed how my wife and I cook! ❤️
I feel exactly the same. I work in corporate and we’re encouraged to use AI to write emails and performance reviews. My philosophy is if you used AI to write something, it wasn’t worth writing.
Great article! And thank you for having your recipes accessible. I realize that is how you generate some income but I love all things before Substack everything and I would rather be inspired on Instagram etc and buy the cook books ! Keep it up !
I don’t use AI both because I don’t think it does a good job and also because I think fully engaging our brains is a beautiful and essential skill and if past industrial revolutions have taught us anything it’s that technology absolutely can and will cause skill loss in the population.
Without getting even more depressive about how I think our loss of thinking is the perfect breeding ground for fascism…….I will just say that it was a beautiful breath of fresh air to see you speak out on the value of human creation! It’s wild to me how normalized the acceptance of AI has become and it’s important to be brave about pushing back on it!
Truly ill never trust AI, especially with something as important as food
fascinating! while I have never cooked from an AI recipe, I’ve had friends who have as a joke
Here to say that I appreciate the semrush drive by 😅 working in content marketing, this conversation is indeed always happening in the margins (and can feel so tired), so I appreciate your take. AI can't taste 👏🏼 To answer your question, the first time I used AI for food was yesterday—the end of the week when my brain was fried. I typed in a few rogue ingredients that I didn't want to go to waste before I ordered groceries and asked for ideas to use them up. One idea I ran with. The others just sparked my own ideas. Safe space!
Thanks for a really insightful perspective on food and AI. As a home cook I’ve been thinking about this recently because Google Gemini is beating all the experienced cooks to the punch when I ask for advice (ie, what is a good substitution for rum in an apple cake). I never intentionally use it, but I’m disturbed by easily I unintentionally do so.
As for my intended use of AI, I do occasionally ask Chat GPT to generate a nutrition label or macro count for a recipe I’m making (esp helpful when pregnant and tracking protein, etc). But I know it’s very fallible. That’s not a creative use though, which is why I take the exception.
Thanks for this conversation!
No AI for me, thanks. I've gotten to the point that I really only look for recipes from already-trusted sites (yours, NYT cooking, a couple of others) because I don't trust google results. Not that it matters, since 95% of the time the ingredients required are not available where I am.
Happy weekend! Thank you for sharing all you do! The egg salad is on the menu for tomorrow’s prep! 🤍🤍 and excited for all the good eats this season brings!
Justine, I've loved following you for years. You truly have a great way with words and I love how you write!!
I have the same thoughts as AI and I hate it but sadly I know the reality of, it's not leaving anytime soon. But you are so right and I wholeheartedly agree. It can't taste. It will never know the intracacies of food. I have truly only used it to convert something from cups to grams, because I know people are always better than computers, maybe for efficiency's sake for data processing and in some other aspects, sure. AI wins that one. But it will never be better than the creativity of humans. ESPECIALLY when it comes to food. It's so personal, and AI doesn't know what personal feels like.
I've used ChatGPT to help with weekly meal plans; if I have ingredients to use up or I'm trying to make sure I'm getting a variety of vitamins & minerals in that week. It's also good with suggesting ingredient substitutions if I run out of something. But I have a lot of experience with ruling out the blatantly bad suggestions, so take that with a grain of salt.
I tried to use AI to generate meal plans for a 100 net carb diet as per my nutritionist (a whopping 20 minute consult) before getting into see the doctor regarding weight loss meds (earliest appointment is December 31 - happy new year?) and the results were laughable at best. Of course it will lead to weight loss because I'll be starving with calorie counts running between 1000 and 1200. So it's still finding finds I like (the roasted salmon bowl is drool worthy) and doing my own research to make it work until NYE.
I use AI when I have made a dish without a recipe that is awesome and I need to organize a proper recipe. I tell it the ingredients and method and I get a nice recipe to save that is all lined up on the page.
I was on a trip with a group of creators and bloggers this week and this same conversation kept coming up—I feel like we all have AI in the back of our minds constantly and it’s so real. I was also shocked to learn how common it is to use AI for all the tasks that come with recipe development, copy/SEO, newsletter writing, etc. and how normalized it is, especially with Google updates making it harder to reach people. I honestly don’t know the right answer but for me, I’m continuing to believe that my audience can see that my work is something AI can’t recreate with the same considerations and creativity and that they appreciate things are tailor-made and thought up by a human being, so I’m staying away from it. Super helpful to read the comments on this post. I do know AI could never rival a Justine Snacks recipe 👏
So well said, Justine! I can certainly see the applications of AI in some fields, but I agree that creative fields should be left to, well, create! There is something so beautiful and inspiring about something written, cooked, or created by a person. You can appreciate all the work and thought that went into it. Firmly on team keep the arts real over here.
Really value this take and I think these conversations are SO important. I am in the “AI IS BAD” camp pretty strongly (for the environment, for our brains, for our creativity), and as a writer, I just refuse to use it. I get the convenience, and I’d rather live my life without convenience at the cost of so many other things!
Anyway, thank you for offering your perspective, I greatly appreciate your recipes and the way you do food. You’ve changed how my wife and I cook! ❤️