AI-created post 'wrongly said restaurant had shut'

A rooftop bar has apologised after incorrectly claiming a nearby restaurant had closed in an unchecked AI (artificial intelligence)-assisted blog post.

The Nook on Five, in Cheltenham, deleted the post about nearby restaurant Lumiere, after staff at the latter spotted it.

Helen Howe, who runs Lumiere with her husband Jon, said: "I think it actually is really serious because it can do huge amounts of damage, especially for such a small business."

The Nook on Five said it apologised for the mistake, which it put down to an "AI-generated draft" that had not been "appropriately reviewed", and encouraged its followers to visit Lumiere.

Lumiere first opened its doors in 2009 and obtained a Michelin star in 2023.

Helen said Jon, who is the head chef, found the incorrect post while searching the restaurant on Google for new reviews and blog posts.

"This Tuesday, he did that and found that the Nook on Five had put a blog post up, mourning our demise essentially, and saying that we were one of their favourite restaurants in town and they were super sad we'd closed down," Helen added.

"We've been here 17 years, and we're very much alive and kicking."

In response to the incident, The Nook On Five said: "We apologise wholeheartedly for our blog post.

"As soon as we realised the mistake, we issued a public apology on the same day across our social media channels, amended the blog, and have since been in full communication with Lumiere to help rectify the situation.

"Our intention was to use the blog to positively promote Lumiere, which it is currently.

"Being a family-run, independent restaurant ourselves, we're keen to support other independent establishments locally, and we recommend Lumiere all the time to tourists and local visitors that come into our restaurant.

"Unfortunately, the error arose from an AI-generated draft produced from our website which was not appropriately reviewed before publication.

"That is entirely on us, and we are reviewing our internal processes to ensure that it does not happen again."

Helen said Lumiere was "relatively lucky" as the blog post had only been published a few days before it was noticed, and thinks AI got confused by the fact Lumiere had closed for a week while the couple were away.

"AI is so useful when used correctly, but it's not foolproof," Helen said.

"You have to put that due diligence in and you have to read what it produces for you and you have to take responsibility for that."