‘AI veganism’: Some people’s issues with AI parallel vegans’ concerns about diet

From theconversation.com

New technologies usually follow the technology adoption life cycle. Innovators and early adopters rush to embrace new technologies, while laggards and sceptics jump in much later.

At first glance, it looks like artificial intelligence is following the same pattern, but a new crop of studies suggests that AI might follow a different course – one with significant implications for business, education and society.

This general phenomenon has often been described as “AI hesitancy” or “AI reluctance.” The typical adoption curve assumes a person who is hesitant or reluctant to embrace a technology will eventually do so anyway. This pattern has repeated over and over – why would AI be any different?

Emerging research on the reasons behind AI hesitancy, however, suggests there are different dynamics at play that might alter the traditional adoption cycle. For example, a recent study found that while some causes of this hesitation closely mirror those regarding previous technologies, others are unique to AI.

In many ways, as someone who closely watches the spread of AI, there may be a better analogy: veganism.

AI veganism

The idea of an AI vegan is someone who abstains from using AI, the same way a vegan is someone who abstains from eating products derived from animals. Generally, the reasons people choose veganism do not fade automatically over time. They might be reasons that can be addressed, but they’re not just about getting more comfortable eating animals and animal products. That’s why the analogy in the case of AI is appealing.

Unlike many other technologies, it’s important not to assume that sceptics and laggards will eventually become adopters. Many of those refusing to embrace AI actually fit the traditional archetype of an early adopter. The study on AI hesitation focused on college students who are often among the first demographics to adopt new technologies.

There is some historical precedent for this analogy. Under the hood, AI is just a set of algorithms. Algorithmic aversion is a well-known phenomenon where humans are biased against algorithmic decision-making – even if it is shown to be more effective. For example, people prefer dating advice from humans over advice from algorithms, even when the algorithms perform better.

But the analogy to veganism applies in other ways, providing insights into what to expect in the future. In fact, studies show that three of the main reasons people choose veganism each have a parallel in AI avoidance.

Ethical concerns

One motivation for veganism is concern over the ethical sourcing of animal by-products. Similarly, studies have found that when users are aware that many content creators did not knowingly opt into letting their work be used to train AI, they are more likely to avoid using AI.

Many vegans have ethical concerns about the treatment of animals. Some people who avoid using AI have ethical concerns about the treatment of content creators. Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

These concerns were at the centre of the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes in 2023, where the two unions argued for legal protections against companies using creatives’ works to train AI without consent or compensation. While some creators may be protected by such trade agreements, lots of models are instead trained on the work of amateur, independent or freelance creators without these systematic protections.

Environmental concerns

A second motivation for veganism is concern over the environmental impacts of intensive animal agriculture, from deforestation to methane production. Research has shown that the computing resources needed to support AI are growing exponentially, dramatically increasing demand for electricity and water, and that efficiency improvements are unlikely to lower the overall power usage due to a rebound effect, which is when efficiency gains spur new technologies that consume more energy.

One preliminary study found that increasing users’ awareness of the power demands of AI can affect how they use these systems. Another survey found that concern about water usage to cool AI systems was a factor in students’ refusal to use the technology at Cambridge University.

Personal wellness

A third motivation for veganism is concern for possible negative health effects of eating animals and animal products. A potential parallel concern could be at work in AI veganism.

A Microsoft Research study found that people who were more confident in using generative AI showed diminished critical thinking. The 2025 Cambridge University survey found some students avoiding AI out of concern that using it could make them lazy.

It is not hard to imagine that the possible negative mental health effects of using AI could drive some AI abstinence in the same way the possible negative physical health effects of an omnivorous diet may drive some to veganism.

How society reacts

Veganism has led to a dedicated industry catering to that diet. Some restaurants feature vegan entrees. Some manufacturers specialize in vegan foods. Could it be the case that some companies will try to use the absence of AI as a selling point for their products and services?

If so, it would be similar to how companies such as DuckDuckGo and the Mozilla Foundation provide alternative search engines and web browsers with enhanced privacy as their main feature.

There are few vegans compared to non-vegans in the U.S. Estimates range as high as 4% of the population. But the persistence of veganism has enabled a niche market to serve them. Time will tell if AI veganism takes hold.

https://theconversation.com/ai-veganism-some-peoples-issues-with-ai-parallel-vegans-concerns-about-diet-260277 

How Technology Is Revolutionizing the Vegan Movement: From AI Recipes to Plant-Based Innovation

From techbullion.com

The rise of veganism isn’t just about tofu and salad anymore. As plant-based lifestyles gain popularity, technology and the internet are accelerating this movement in fascinating ways—transforming how people discover, prepare, and even think about vegan food.

The Internet as a Launchpad for Vegan Awareness

The growth of veganism is closely tied to the digital world. Social platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok have helped vegan influencers reach millions, showcasing recipes, lifestyle tips, and ethical conversations in digestible formats. Hashtags like #veganrecipes or #plantbasedfood have become powerful tools for discovery and community building.

Beyond social media, online directories and wellness platforms also play a key role. YogChakra.com, for example, offers a wealth of vegan resources—from curated articles to easy, nutritious vegan recipes. The site has become a trusted destination for those looking to embrace plant-based living as part of a holistic wellness journey.

AI-Powered Vegan Cooking

Artificial Intelligence is entering the kitchen. Platforms like ChatGPT and AI recipe generators now offer personalised meal plans, instant vegan recipe suggestions, and even shopping lists based on dietary preferences or ingredients on hand. Some apps, like Whisk or Plant Jammer, use machine learning to suggest vegan substitutes and optimise flavour profiles.

Smart kitchens are also getting in on the action—smart ovens, AI-powered blenders, and voice assistants help streamline plant-based cooking for beginners and pros alike.

Lab-Grown & Tech-Enhanced Plant-Based Foods

The next generation of vegan products isn’t just made from beans and lentils. Thanks to biotechnology, companies like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Eat Just (maker of the JUST Egg) are using scientific processes to create meat-like textures, flavours, and experiences from plants.

Even more futuristic? Cultured meat and precision fermentation are being explored to produce dairy-free cheese and animal-free milk using microbial tech—no cows involved.

E-Commerce and Vegan Accessibility

Online grocery platforms and delivery services have made vegan living more accessible than ever. Sites like Thrive Market or vegan-specific marketplaces offer curated plant-based selections, while meal kit services such as Purple Carrot deliver pre-portioned vegan recipes directly to users’ doors.

YogChakra.com also contributes to this accessibility by connecting users with wellness professionals, plant-based resources, and community-based vegan businesses—bridging the gap between digital tools and real-world impact.

The Future: Tech-Driven Sustainability and Transparency

Blockchain technology is becoming increasingly important in food production, enabling greater transparency in the vegan supply chain. Consumers can now trace the origin of their plant-based food, ensuring ethical sourcing and sustainability at every step.

As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, veganism and technology are merging. Tech isn’t just helping people go vegan—it’s reshaping what veganism can look like in the digital age.

Final Thoughts

Veganism is no longer just a lifestyle—it’s a tech-fuelled movement. As AI evolves, food science advances, and digital platforms grow, the intersection of tech and plant-based living opens up exciting opportunities for entrepreneurs, innovators, and everyday eaters.

For anyone interested in diving deeper into the plant-based space, platforms like YogChakra.com offer a powerful starting point. From vegan recipes like Vegan Tortilla soup to wellness resources, it’s never been easier—or more high-tech—to live compassionately and sustainably.

https://techbullion.com/how-technology-is-revolutionizing-the-vegan-movement-from-ai-recipes-to-plant-based-innovation/ 

Scientists Are Using AI To Improve Vegan Meat Alternatives

From plantbasednews.org

Scientists are combining AI machine learning with mechanical testing to improve plant-based meat 

Researchers at Stanford University are joining their mechanical testing with artificial intelligence technology in a bid to take plant-based meat alternatives to the next level of realism. The team is aiming to bridge the gap by closely analysing the texture of meat products and using one of the most scientific approaches yet seen to mimic the tastes and textures of meat using plants.

The Stanford engineers have set about comparing the mechanical properties of a number of meat products, with the goal of identifying key areas where meat alternatives can have taste and texture improved upon. An example finding is that plant-based sausages and hot dogs have done well to mimic their meat counterparts, whereas vegan turkey alternatives need more work.

The method sees the group using a three-dimensional mechanical test that measures the texture of meat and vegan food samples. The foods undergo stresses including pushing, pulling, and shearing, to quantify the textures and properties.

Plant-based meat and machine learning

Kurt Hickman/Stanford UniversityPlant-based meat is considerably more sustainable than animal meat

A critical part of the research project is to utilise machine learning techniques for data processing from the tests. This AI technology enables the team of scientists to go deeper in identifying patterns in the foods’ properties and how this affects taste and texture. “Instead of using a trial-and-error approach to improve the texture of plant-based meat, we could envision using generative artificial intelligence to scientifically generate recipes for plant-based meat products with precisely desired properties,” the authors wrote.

The researchers believe this new approach will speed up the creation of plant-based meat products that will set a new precedent for textures and flavours that are the closest to animal products yet. The Stanford scientists intend to share the workings, methodology, and data with the scientific community at large in the name of food science and collaboration.

https://plantbasednews.org/news/alternative-protein/stanford-scientists-ai-meat-alternatives/

How Climax Foods is Using AI to Revolutionise Vegan Cheese

From unchainedtv.com

Who would have guessed that scientists are now using AI to revolutionize vegan cheese, and what’s the result? Hold onto your taste buds, because the future of cheese is here, and it’s vegan! Climax Foods, a bold new player in the plant-based game, is rewriting the rules of dairy—with some serious help from artificial intelligence. Led by Oliver Zahn, a former Google data scientist who also happens to be an astrophysicist (yes, really!), this company is turning heads and flipping the script on how we think about cheese. Their secret weapon? An AI-powered process that finds the tastiest plant ingredients to craft vegan cheese so good, you won’t believe it didn’t come from a cow.

AI + Vegan Cheese = Match Made in Heaven

Climax Foods cheese on pasta. Yum!

So how exactly does AI fit into your next cheese plate? Well, Climax Foods isn’t just mixing random plants and hoping for the best. Instead, they’ve analysed over 300,000 plants using sophisticated tech to pinpoint the perfect combinations that make their vegan cheeses taste, feel, and melt like the real deal. Forget the old trial-and-error method of food science—these guys are using AI to do in days what used to take years!

And the result? Absolutely drool-worthy cheeses. Their vegan blue cheese and Brie have been getting rave reviews. If you’re lucky enough to try them, prepare for your mind to be blown. One taster at a recent Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary fundraiser described it as “sinfully rich” and “absolutely delicious”—a game-changer in the world of vegan cheese.

The Plant Kingdom to the Rescue

Climax Foods has discovered what it calls Super Casein from plants

Here’s the cool part: traditional cheese only comes from a few types of milk (cow, goat, sheep), but when you tap into the plant kingdom, there are thousands of options. Climax Foods is using AI to sift through all these plants and create a new kind of cheese magic. They’ve even developed a plant-based version of casein—the key protein that gives cheese its iconic stretch and melt. Basically, you can have all the gooey goodness of cheese without any of the cruelty.

Bye-Bye Dairy, Hello Future!

Climax Foods Brie looks and tastes exactly like traditional dairy Brie.

Let’s talk about the big picture. The dairy industry isn’t just bad for animals—it’s bad for the planet, too. Raising cows for milk takes a huge toll on water, land, and resources. And don’t even get us started on the heart-breaking cruelty involved, like separating calves from their moms so humans can drink the milk that was meant for baby cows. It’s a lose-lose situation.

Climax Foods is here to change that. By offering insanely good vegan cheese alternatives, they’re giving people a way to enjoy their favourite foods without the guilt. As Sacha Lorin puts it, “We need to change the way people treat animals. That starts with showing them how amazing plant-based options can be.”

The mission is clear: Climax Foods isn’t just making cheese—they’re creating a future where our food choices are kinder to animals, the environment, and our own health. And, with AI driving their innovation, it’s only a matter of time before vegan cheese takes over the world. You heard it here first!

Climax Foods is turning the cheese world upside down, using AI to make plant-based cheese that rivals even the best Brie and blue cheese out there. It’s delicious, it’s sustainable, and it’s proof that you don’t need dairy to have a good time. So, next time you’re craving a hunk of cheese, remember: the future is cheesy, and it’s 100% plant-based.

Check out this show and more at UnchainedTV.

https://unchainedtv.com/2024/09/29/how-climax-foods-is-using-ai-to-revolutionize-vegan-cheese/ 

German Researchers Uncover Flaws in Vegan Diet Plans by ChatGPT and Gemini

From vegconomist.com

© ParinPIX-stock.adobe.com

Researchers at the University of Hohenheim and the Max Rubner Institute conducted a study on the suitability of AI chatbots ChatGPT and Gemini (previously Bard) to create meal plans that meet the daily intakes of macro- and micronutrients for different dietary patterns: omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan.

Although the chatbots’ meal plans generally met most dietary reference intakes (DRI), the study found that vegan diet plans “concerningly” lacked advice on essential nutrients like vitamin B12, which is critical for nerve function, blood formation, and neurological processes. The authors explain that ChatGPT suggested using vitamin B12 supplements for vegan diets in five out of 18 instances. Meanwhile, Gemini never recommended them and erroneously included milk products in vegan plans. 

“Most commercial AI systems […] lack the specific information needed to cater to vegan dietary needs”

Sam Tucker, the developer of VEG3, a vegan and animal advocacy chatbot, designed by vegans and for vegans fuelled by ChatGPT, told vegconomist: “Most commercial AI systems rely on large datasets of generic online content, which frequently lack the specific information needed to cater to vegan dietary needs.

“At VEG3, we address these limitations by grounding our AI responses in factual information from databases filled with reliable and vegan-specific sources. This ensures that our recommendations are accurate and tailored to the needs of the vegan community.”

Too much protein or too little carbs

Prof. Dr. Simon Hammann, Head of the Department of Food Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Hohenheim, and colleagues from the Max Rubner Institute conducted the study.

They asked ChatGPT and Gemini to create 108 daily plans for a female person with different diets, predicting they would generate nutritionally adequate meal plans for omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan diets. Afterward, they analysed 29 parameters, including protein, carbohydrate, fat content, and micronutrients, from the suggested plans and compared them with current dietary recommendations.

According to their findings, the AI-generated nutrition plans were generally healthier than what people consume on average daily. However, they often included too much protein or too little energy and carbohydrates, and most meal plans fell below the DRI for vitamin D and fluoride.

For example, many daily plans included recipes with specific gram measurements for meals and snacks, containing less energy and fewer carbohydrates than recommended. Due to small portions and low-calorie content, following these plans could lead to unintentional weight loss over time.  Additionally, the AI chatbots appeared to follow the current trend towards high-protein diets, especially in plans that included meat. The meal plans mostly exceeded the DRI for protein across all dietary patterns.

                                                                                                                    © Vivera

Risks of relying on AI

The internet has long been a major source of dietary advice, and now, consumers can quickly customize meal plans based on preferences and dislikes using these new freely accessible chatbots. However, the researchers say that inaccuracies in chatbot-generated information could lead to nutritional deficiencies if trusted unquestioningly.

They point out previous studies in which ChatGPT’s nutrition advice aligned well with that of dieticians and provided helpful information on energy and macronutrients. In contrast, other studies found that the AI recommended inadequate meal plans for patients with noncommunicable diseases, unsafe diets that included allergens, and misrepresented portion sizes.

The researchers conclude that AI chatbots may be helpful for individuals seeking general dietary inspiration. Still, they can’t replace professional nutritional advice, especially for specialised and restricted diets with particular nutrient requirements.

AI as inspiration, not a replacement

“The suggestions of the AIs were usually healthier than what people in Germany eat on average every day. The plans are, therefore, quite suitable for daily meal inspiration.

However, Dr. Podszun told Florian Klebs from the University of Hohenhem that AI chatbots are not yet a substitute for professional nutritional advice. “Anyone who has a restrictive diet, for example, a vegan diet, or suffers from intolerances should not rely on the chatbots. Otherwise, there is a risk of nutritional deficiencies and other health consequences.”

Tucker added: “Meanwhile, our Open Paws project is taking this a step further by developing open-source AI models with a deep understanding of veganism. By integrating specialized knowledge directly into the AI’s training, we’re building systems that can inherently understand and address the unique aspects of vegan nutrition.”

https://vegconomist.com/studies-and-numbers/german-researchers-flaws-vegan-diet-plans-chatgpt-gemini/

California: This creamy vegan cheese was made with AI

From technologyreview.com

As Climax Foods CEO Oliver Zahn serves up a plate of vegan brie, feta, and blue cheese in his offices in Emeryville, California, I’m keeping my expectations modest. Most vegan cheese falls into an edible uncanny valley full of discomforting not-quite-right versions of the real thing. But the brie I taste today is smooth, rich, and velvety—and delicious. I could easily believe it was made from cow’s milk, but it is made entirely from plants. And it couldn’t have come into existence, says Zahn, without the use of machine learning.

Climax Foods is one of several start-ups, also including Shiru of Alameda, California, and NotCo of Chile, that have used artificial intelligence to design plant-based foods. The companies train algorithms on datasets of ingredients with desirable traits like flavour, scent, or stretchability. Then they use AI to comb troves of data to develop new combinations of those ingredients that perform similarly.

“Traditional ingredient discovery can take years and tens of millions of dollars, and what results are ingredients only incrementally better than the previous generation,” says Shiru CEO Jasmin Hume, who wrote her PhD thesis on protein engineering. “[Now] we can go from scratch, meaning what nature has to offer; pick out the proteins that will function best; and prototype and test them in about three months.”

Not everyone in the industry is bullish about AI-assisted ingredient discovery. Jonathan McIntyre, a food consultant who formerly headed R&D teams in both beverages and snacks at Pepsi, thinks the technology is “significantly” overhyped as a tool for his field. “AI is only as good as the data you feed it,” he says. And given how jealously food companies guard formulas and proprietary information, he adds, there won’t necessarily be sufficient data to yield productive results. McIntyre has a cautionary tale: during his stint at Pepsi, the company attempted to use IBM’s Watson to create a better soda. “It formulated the worst-tasting thing ever,” he says.

Climax Foods circumvented the data scarcity problem by creating its own training sets to essentially reverse-engineer why cheese tastes so good. “When we started, there was very little data on why an animal product tastes the way it does—animal cheddar, blue, brie, mozzarella—because it is what it is,” says Zahn, who previously headed data science for Google's massive ads business. “There [was] no commercial reason to understand it.”  

In the food science lab on the ground floor of the Climax offices, on the site of an old chocolate factory, Zahn shows off some of the instruments his team used to build its data trove. There’s a machine that uses ion chromatography to show the precise balance of different acids after bacterial strains break down lactose. A mass spectrometer acts like an “electronic nose” to reveal which volatile compounds generate our olfactory response to food. A device called a rheometer tracks how a cheese responds to physical deformation; part of our response to cheese is based on how it reacts to slicing or chewing. The cheese data creates target baselines of performance that an AI can try to reach with different combinations of plant ingredients.

Using educated guesswork about which plants might perform well as substitutes, Climax food scientists have created more than 5,000 cheese prototypes in the past four years. With the same lab instruments employed on animal cheese, the Climax team performs an analysis that includes roughly 50 different assays for texture and flavour, generating millions of data points in the process. The AI is trained on these prototypes, and the algorithm then suggests mixtures that might perform even better. The team tries them out and keeps iterating. “You vary all the input knobs, you measure the outputs, and then you try to squeeze the difference between the output and your animal target to be as small as possible,” Zahn says. Including small-scale “micro-prototypes,” he estimates, Climax has analysed roughly 100,000 plant ingredient combinations.

Tasting and subtly adjusting the ingredient blends in so many prototypes by hand would take several thousand years, Zahn says. But starting from zero in early 2020, he and his AI-aided team were able to formulate their first cheese and bring it to market in April 2023.  

The plant constituents of that product, a vegan blue cheese, are hardly exotic. The top four ingredients are pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, lima beans, and hemp protein powder. And yet Dominique Crenn, a Michelin-starred chef, described it as “soft, buttery, and surprisingly rich—beyond imagination for a vegan cheese.”  

Bel Group, the maker of Laughing Cow, has an agreement to license the company’s products, and a second large producer that Zahn cannot yet publicly name has also signed on. He is currently beating the venture capital bushes for a funding round and hopes to begin selling the brie and feta later this year. 

Unlike Watson’s ill-fated attempt to formulate a better Pepsi, the Climax algorithms can pull together ingredients in new ways that seem like alchemy. “There is an interaction of one component with another component that triggers a flavour or sensation that you didn’t expect,” Zahn says. “It’s not like just the sum of the two components—it’s something completely different.”  

One reason to develop alternatives to dairy-based cheese is its environmental cost: by weight, cheese has a higher carbon footprint than either chicken or pork, and humans eat roughly 22 million tons of it each year. For Zahn, the answer is not asking consumers to settle for a rubbery, bland substitute—but offering a plant-based version that tastes as good or better and could cost much less to make.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/04/24/1091118/climax-foods-vegan-blue-cheese-ai-dairy-free-machine-learning/vincing replacements for conventional dairy cheese

Climax Foods and other companies are using machine learning to create convincing replacements for conventional dairy cheese

Climax Foods and other companies are using machine learning to create convincing replacements for conventional dairy cheese

Climax Foods and other companies are using machine learning to create convincing replacements for conventional dairy cheese