Customer Says Delivery Driver Used AI-Generated Photo To Show That His Food Was At His Front Door
Claudio Lucca | Shutterstock In a post to X, a customer named Byrne Hobart shared that his delivery driver seemingly used an AI-generated image as evidence that his food was delivered to his door. Hobart alleges otherwise.
Many people have shared their worries about AI coming for their jobs, and now the service industry might also be at risk. From the entertainment industry to the corporate world, people have voiced their concerns about not only the emergence of AI but also the effects that relying on it too heavily can have.
A customer alleged his delivery driver used an AI-generated photo to show that his food was at his front door.
"Amazing. DoorDash driver accepted the drive, immediately marked it as delivered, and submitted an AI-generated image of a DoorDash order (left) at our front door (right)," Hobart wrote in his post.
The photo he shared was an AI-generated image showing his food sitting against his front door. However, when he actually opened his door to check, there was no food there. He explained that DoorDash promptly sent him his food order at no additional cost.
A man named Dave commented under Hobart's post, showing a clearly AI-generated photo a delivery driver had used to show that his food was hanging on the outside handle of his front door. But in the same debacle that happened to Hobart, there was no food waiting for him when he opened the door. "Had the same thing happen last night in Austin. The feeling was really uncanny, like playing a video game with a glitch," Dave wrote.
DoorDash terminated the Dasher's account and assured the public that they wouldn't tolerate fraud.
In a statement to TechCrunch, a DoorDash spokesperson insisted that the matter was not one tolerated by the company. "After quickly investigating this incident, our team permanently removed the Dasher’s account and ensured the customer was made whole. We have zero tolerance for fraud and use a combination of technology and human review to detect and prevent bad actors from abusing our platform," the DoorDash spokesperson explained.
The fact is, someone is always going to try to game the system, and this is the perfect example of that happening. Thankfully, DoorDash stepped in quickly and asserted that they will continue to work to prevent these instances from occurring.
With everything else that we have to worry about when it comes to AI usage, it seems even everyday conveniences like using food delivery apps have to be added to the ever-growing list. Sadly, that seems to be the way with new tech. With the good, there is always some bad, and sometimes it takes a learning curve to find balance.
Hopefully, Hobart's experience will offer an opportunity for customers to be on the lookout for anything that seems off. Sometimes knowing something can happen is the perfect form of prevention.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
