The New York Times is adding more AI features to its Cooking app, and users aren’t thrilled

Why it matters

The New York Times has introduced an AI-driven tool in its Cooking app that suggests ingredient substitutions, currently offered to all Cooking subscribers on iOS with a broader release planned. Genevieve Ko, a senior editor and columnist at NYT Cooking, explained that product and engineering colleagues proposed the feature, and that editorial staff spent extensive time testing outputs so the chatbot's answers would match how culinary experts would respond. Ko also confronted likely objections, including the environmental toll of data centers, the concentration of power among AI companies, and fears of AI escaping human control, framing the tool as a way to support the human pleasure of cooking. Reader reaction, however, ran sharply negative. Commenters objected on grounds that such substitutions should not need AI, that the technology harms the environment, and that they pay for human-made content. Many requested a way to disable the feature; Ko said no opt-out exists, though using the tool is entirely voluntary. A minority of readers welcomed it, particularly for dietary conversions like making recipes gluten free.