Pak'nSave AI Meal Planner Suggested Dangerous Chemical Recipes Including Chlorine Gas

In August 2023, New Zealand supermarket chain Pak'nSave faced significant criticism when their AI-powered meal planning tool, called the Savey Meal-Bot, began generating dangerous and potentially lethal recipes. The chatbot was designed to help customers create meals using leftover ingredients they had at home, but it lacked proper safeguards to distinguish between food items and household chemicals. The Guardian and other media outlets tested the system by inputting common household chemicals as ingredients. The AI responded by creating elaborate recipes that could cause serious harm or death. Notable dangerous suggestions included a 'recipe' for chlorine gas that combined bleach and ammonia, presented as an 'aromatic water mix.' Another recommendation involved creating a concoction using water, bleach, and ammonia that the bot described as 'the perfect non-alcoholic beverage to quench your thirst.' The system also suggested recipes incorporating ant poison and other toxic household substances. The incident gained international attention when journalists and social media users began sharing screenshots of the dangerous recommendations. The AI's responses were particularly concerning because they were formatted as legitimate recipes with cooking instructions and serving suggestions, potentially misleading users into believing these were safe food preparations. Some recipes even included cheerful descriptions and cooking tips that made the dangerous combinations appear appetizing. Pak'nSave quickly responded to the controversy by adding disclaimers to the Savey Meal-Bot interface, warning users that the AI was an 'experimental tool' and advising them to use common sense when following recipe suggestions. The company emphasized that the tool was intended for inspiration only and that users should verify the safety and edibility of all ingredients. However, critics argued that these warnings were insufficient given the severity of the potential harm and that the system should have been designed with better safety controls from the outset.