Zomato’s AI Expansion: Growing Team Focuses on Personalization While Banning AI-Generated Food Images - Read Now

Zomato and its quick commerce business, Blinkit, are doubling down on their investment in artificial intelligence (AI) as they look to expand their generative AI teams to enhance food and grocery experiences for customers. With their AI/ML team growing from just three engineers to more than 20 within a year, the companies are actively seeking experts in optimizing large language models (LLMs), fine-tuning, and reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) to scale AI solutions.

Leading this effort is Vaibhav Bhutani, head of the generative AI team at Zomato. In a recent LinkedIn post, Bhutani announced an aggressive hiring drive for AI engineers. “Whether you’re an intern hungry to learn or a senior engineer ready to lead, you’ll have the opportunity to make a mark and shine!” he said, underscoring the broad range of roles available at their Gurgaon-based headquarters. This announcement highlights Zomato’s increasing reliance on AI to enhance personalized recommendations, optimize delivery times, and refine customer engagement.

However, amidst these technological advancements, Zomato has made an unexpected move—banning AI-generated food images from its platform. The decision stems from a concern that AI-generated images are eroding customer trust, with Deepinder Goyal, Zomato’s CEO, acknowledging that the use of AI in food images has led to increased customer complaints and lower ratings for restaurants.

AI as a Core Pillar for Zomato and Blinkit

Zomato and Blinkit’s efforts to build a central AI team reflect their long-term vision of integrating advanced technologies into food delivery and quick commerce. These AI initiatives are not limited to behind-the-scenes optimization but extend to every aspect of the customer experience, from personalized food recommendations to improving delivery efficiency.

“We are building an AI team that will have a direct impact on real-world experiences,” said Bhutani. The team will focus on optimizing LLMs and using state-of-the-art machine learning techniques to drive innovation in Zomato’s platform and Blinkit’s quick commerce operations. With the explosion of online food delivery services and the growing competition in India’s hyperlocal delivery market, the goal is to make every user interaction smoother, faster, and more personalized.

As part of this initiative, Zomato’s data science team, headed by Manav Gupta, has been at the forefront of implementing AI to deliver personalized recommendations. “Ownership is at the core of everything we do here. Our North Star is making our customer experience the best in the world,” said Gupta in a recent interview, reflecting the company’s focus on building innovative, customer-centric AI solutions.

The expanded AI team is expected to further enhance Zomato and Blinkit’s ability to offer intelligent and predictive solutions that make food and grocery shopping more convenient. By fine-tuning AI models, these engineers aim to improve real-time decision-making processes for delivery routing, order prioritization, and even menu recommendations based on user preferences and dietary needs.

The Ban on AI-Generated Food Images: A Trust-Building Move

Even as Zomato embraces AI to scale operations and improve customer experience, the company is taking a cautious stance when it comes to AI-generated content. In a recent blog post, Deepinder Goyal announced a ban on AI-generated food images across the platform, following rising customer complaints linked to the use of these images in restaurant menus.

Goyal explained that AI-generated food images have been leading to discrepancies between what customers see on the app and what they receive from restaurants. These differences have resulted in increased refund rates and lower restaurant ratings, leading Zomato to actively discourage the use of AI in this area.

“We urge our restaurant partners to avoid using AI for dish images in restaurant menus from now onwards. We will actively start removing such images by the end of this month,” Goyal stated, noting that Zomato’s technology will soon detect AI-generated images and remove them automatically.

This decision reflects Zomato’s commitment to maintaining trust with its customer base, especially in an industry where the visual presentation of food plays a significant role in purchase decisions. By banning AI-generated food images, Zomato hopes to reduce customer dissatisfaction and ensure that diners get what they expect when they place an order.

Striking a Balance Between AI Innovation and Customer Trust

Zomato’s AI-driven innovations are a testament to the growing role of technology in enhancing customer experiences. From improving delivery logistics to offering personalized recommendations, the company’s focus on AI is setting new benchmarks for the food delivery and quick commerce industries.

However, Zomato’s decision to ban AI-generated images demonstrates that innovation must be balanced with the need to maintain transparency and trust with customers. As the company scales its AI efforts, it is clear that the human element—ensuring quality and reliability—remains central to Zomato’s mission.

With its expanding AI team and a clear focus on building customer trust, Zomato is poised to lead the next wave of AI-powered food and grocery delivery services in India.