Welcome to the Kati Keksi monthly newsletter, bringing together the latest content from the Kati Keksi website as well as highlights from social media including Facebook and Instagram.

Hey there!

Can we talk about AI for a moment?*

*It's going to be a long moment, the entire feature.

AI is seemingly everywhere right now and, even though I don't talk about it much, I am absolutely sick of it.

I don't like AI, for a number of reasons, but here are a few.

• It's unoriginal
• It's tacky
• It consumes huge volumes of energy and resources; and,
• A lot of it is very samey (especially typeface and drawing styles)

In my profession as a blogger I don't like it because

• it is stealing original content - if you ask chatGPT what chocolate is GF at Woolies, it's just going to copy my guide to tell you.
• it is taking from freely available sources (like Google Maps) and charging for it (Atly).
• it is unfairly increasing competition on places like Facebook.

My Facebook feed is filled with photos of fake recipes and fake products. It leads to people accusing me of posting AI generated content.

For coeliacs / gluten free folks it's shit because

• it pulls data from other countries (especially bad for global products with different recipes)
• it doesn't provide context (it'll show you an answer, but not tell you the source is four years old and may be out of date)
• it follows label reading rules from the US, rather than Australia which are completely different

How AI is using you, even if you don't use AI

Last month while browsing a gluten free Facebook group I found a reel reviewing a gluten free venue Melbourne.

I recognised the creator, or rather, the AI generated character.

I watched it through anyway because I was curious to see what AI defects were there. The shot of the menu made it clear - earange chicken instead of karaage chicken.

But what part was most obviously AI?

The part of the video breaking open a cookie. Not because the cookie looked fake, far from it.

It was because it was my hand holding the cookie.

I recognised the angle of the shot and the plate underneath.

I looked up the Google Maps reviews for the venue and found my original photograph there.

It seems that my image was given to AI with the prompt, "make this into a video breaking open the cookie"

The video starts with my original right hand holding the real cookie. Next an AI generated left hand enters the screen to break it open.

The AI then seems to add a gooey filling - which isn't in the original cookie.

The AI generated left hand even looks like mine. It had a silver coloured wedding band and even the same defect that is on one of my fingers.

AI images and videos certainly irk me, no question.

But it's whole other thing to see your own body used and modified.

To put it plainly, it was disturbing.

Apps using AI

It's interesting to me that so many brands are using AI. Both small and large.

Atly, an app for finding venues, uses AI (and a few other questionable / unscrupulous methods) to scrape data across the internet.

The first time I checked out their app I looked at one of my favourite venues, La Tortilleria in Melbourne.

I found a glowing review... By me.

Atly had taken my review and my name and put it on their app as if I were a genuine user.

That's a problem.

I don't endorse Atly. It's not right that their product is free for regular users but charged for gluten free ones.

It's egregious that they would steal freely available Google reviews and use it to charge people.

And what about brands selling products?

Have you noticed lately the number of gluten free baking mixes now available? Some of them don't have real photos of the final product.

How can I possibly expect to make a good cake from a packet mix, if the inventor can't even do it?

I get that food photography is hard, but lying through images doesn't really solve the problem.

But it's not just small businesses, bigger companies cut corners too.

I've seen arguments that food images have long been augmented, be it through Photoshop or traditional food styling tricks (motor oil instead of maple syrup?).

While I'm often up for devil's advocate, I don't think this comparison holds up.

Yes, we've long been deceived through marketing, but surely you can see that with Photoshop and food styling each product started from a place of truth?

AI results, photos, videos are by design an amalgam. They are not from one source of truth but a haphazard mash up.

A pick and mix where you're as likely to get a gummy worm as you are a drill bit.

This is especially hazardous for recipes from ChatGPT that could take ingredients from one blog and the method from another.

Gluten free folks using AI

Last year people got fired up the comment section when I posted a photo of the new Chicken Crimpies that were coming out.

The post received screenshots of AI summaries, telling me that I was wrong and that I was posting a fake product.

So what gluten free products were Arnott's actually making, according to this AI summary?

​Wagon Wheels, Salada and Monte Carlo. 🤔

Can you really believe that the AI summary is accurate about Chicken Crimpies not existing when it is incorrect about not one, but three other products?

Critical thinking and context are casualties of AI

It worries me that Google's AI summaries or discussions with ChatGPT and other AI products are taken as gospel.

AI knowledge is a product of the information it can access, not the information that exists.

What I mean by that is, AI can access information available online only.

If it's a raining outside but the BOM weather radar website is broken, AI will tell you it's sunny.

If AI can't find local information for a product, it will search websites for another country.

If the information available online is out of date and therefore incorrect that's all it can give to you.

AI cannot walk into a store and pick up a product.

Check out this Twisties query.

There's a lot to unpack here.

• There is no barley listed in the cheese powder, that's wrong.
• Second point is correct - gluten is listed as an allergen.
• Not safe, I'd agree.
• Twisties Zig Zag "explicitly labelled gluten free"?! That's a big nope, looking at Woolies website it contains wheat flour and further on the Coles website it doesn't have flour but still lists gluten as an allergen.
• Last point, dedicated alternatives - the Woolworths Free From Gluten Cheese Twists haven't been available for at least three years.

So where is all this garbage info coming from?

You may be surprised to learn that the first one is because of me. 😅

One of the first product reviews I did on my website was the Woolworths gluten free cheese twists. At the time of the review Twisties did contain barley in the cheese powder.

The AI has looked at my article, seen it's by Kati Keksi, a reputable gluten free blogger and taken it as gospel.

However it has failed to look at the publication date, 20 May 2022.

A human reading that article could have seen the date and realised, "Hmm, four years is a long time for food products, I'm going to check this myself in store."

So while there was some truth to that AI summary, there was a lot that just wasn't correct, or didn't give the full picture.

So what am I trying to say?

Use AI sparingly, use it judiciously, or just don't use it all.

And if you're a brand, don't use it to generate images of your food.

If you can't eat it, why promote it?

Kati x

PS. Phew! I feel like I can't finish a newsletter on a sombre note, it feels uncomfortable.

So here's a highlight from last week. I took my coeliac friend Rima out for her first gluten free banh mi!

Latest posts on katikeksi.com​

Not up to date with the website? Here's what I've been talking about this month.

Gluten free LCMs / Rice Krispie treats

Regular LCMs have barley! Luckily homemade marshmallow rice bubble bars are super easy to make and endlessly customisable. Or you can just buy some at Aldi - no worries.

Cherry crumble, oat free

You can use frozen cherries (or any berries for that matter) to make a lovely, warming winter time dessert.

Woolworths gluten free mud cake

I wasn't desperate to try the mud cake but I took a punt on Monday morning after the gym and managed to find one!

Most popular content on Facebook

What's been big on Facebook this month?

• I popped in to Silly Yak's factory outlet in Coburg and got myself some bakery products, including discount factory seconds.
• International AERO! Yesss. Mini mint Aero are now at Woolworths and they are from Europe which means no may contain. They are goooood.
• I shared an awesome hack using Scotch finger biscuits as a caramel slice base. You can see my friend Rima's reel and recipe.
• Coles has changed the packaging of their frozen chips - not to worry, their three options are still GF by ingredient (and I've updated my chip guide with new photos)
• ​ALDI cup noodles are back, those brown rice ones with amazing texture. Available in Thai green curry and tom yum.
• Did you know Coles has Jersey caramels that are gluten free by ingredient? So many folks are happy, more than I expected. :)
• Gluten free rissoles are back at Aldi - this one often surprises people as they are coated in a thick crumb.
• I had a wonderful cake from GingerSnap pattisserie in Melbourne. Gluten free and vegan.
• I asked everyone to share what you had for dinner that night give each other a bit of meal inspiration.

Instagram @kati_keksi

Do you follow me on Instagram? I tend to post different content there compared to Facebook so it's worth checking out both.

Here's what I've been sharing this month.

• I got my hands on the new Woolworths gluten free mud cake. Given I haven't seen one since I'm quite impressed with my luck.
• A little reel showing Curly Wurly slice coming together.
• And of course my monthly reel of new products - August was huuuuuuge. Over 30 new products.

New product alerts

Here's just a few of the new gluten free products I've seen in the last month.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook where I post everything I find, and if you prefer, follow me on Instagram for a monthly reel summary.

• John West have got new rice tuna packs that are much bigger at 220g (others are 170g). There are four flavours.
• Protein protein protein rice. You can get Sunrice protein rice in pouches and also little pots. Parents of picky eaters are cheering.
• New sprinkles are coming to Coles that are GF by ingredient - Yass Queen!
• Product change - Made with Plants cheese is going back to being tested gluten free!
• While we're on the topic, Nestle cocoa now has a may contain for wheat / gluten.
• I saw slow cooked beef cheeks at Woolworths for the first time, and as one reader pointed out it's actually really great value compared to the cost and cooking time of raw ones.

Article from the archive

Did you know I started my website back in January 2022? There's so many articles, including reviews that you can read. Here's one I picked for you.

Almond croissant hack

Turn any croissant into an almond croissant in under 30 minutes. I love this recipe so much and it's a perfect breakfast for Father's Day this month. Or a special morning just for you.

Thanks for reading! If you want to support my work you can Buy Me a Coffee ☕.

By the way, if you've ever wondered how I fund what I do, you can read about that too.