We don't need more recipes and meal plans, we really don't. And sure, that's a bit odd coming from somebody whose platform hosts hundreds of thousands of both. But creating content has been commoditized by AI, which means more is not necessarily better. To go out more broadly, people are losing trust in what they see online, be it recipes and meal plans or a blog post like this. We're human, and we need more trust, not constant doubt.
Trust is falling, and more content won't fix it
Consumer trust in AI-generated content has dropped from 73% to 58% in just two years (2023-2025). The decline spans every age group, including Gen Z. (Capgemini Research Institute)
People don't need more recipes and meal plans, they need somebody they trust to guide them.
We all use AI - sometimes we know it, sometimes we don't - but that doesn't mean we always like it. 50% of consumers prefer to give their business to brands that don't use AI in consumer-facing content and 68% of consumers frequently wonder whether what they're seeing online is real (Jaxon Parrott). So half of us, if nothing else, have a preference for something authentic.
I don't really find this surprising. AI generated content lacks what only an individual can provide, their unique life experiences coalesced into a thought. And while AI has access to more information than any of us, it still gets things wrong, so we're left always wondering, is this true?
AI as a tool, not a voice
I'm using more AI every day, so I'm learning what it does well, and where it falls short. I'm fine with its ability to scale my operations on the backend, but when it comes time to have a conversation it's time to slow down and get back to qwerty. If I'm asking the reader to spend time on my content, I think they deserve me spending time to create it. Will I use AI to help with research, to refine a thought, or to find an opposing view, yes. But that is using AI as a tool, not to generate an opinion.
It goes back to emotional connection, and I don't think AI has figured this out yet - quite frankly I hope it never does. Just the labeling of AI generated content alone drops engagement significantly. (Seeger, F., Wessel, M. & Lehrer, C.) People don't digest your content just for the sake of consumption, they form a relationship with the person behind it, often in small ways, but sometimes quite dramatically.
When a food content creator hand-picks a recipe for their audience, they are saying "I made this for you", not "Here's a set of ingredients and instructions". If the story behind the recipe is meaningful, the reader will likely enjoy the meal more – much in the way that wine tasting with friends creates a lasting memory more than buying a bottle at retail.
Consumer apps vs. curated kitchens
Users have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to a recipe and meal planning app, and they can be split into two main camps, consumer and curated. Consumer apps typically are based on automation – help the user find something they will enjoy, while successful Curation apps have a specific niche they are focused on - a cohort of people that have a common interest or set of goals related to food or perhaps life in general.
Even within a report that is bullish on AI driven meal planning apps, they cite the benefits of personalization as an increase user engagement by as much as 80% (Market.US) - just imagine what happens when you add the emotional connection on top of personlization.
Member Kitchens exists because of the thousands of food content creators, dietitians and coaches want a way to provide their curated content to like minded individuals. The creator of the content is never lost, it is their app and their brand, and their stories. We provide the platform, the creator provides the connection and the content - their own recipes compiled into meaningful meal plans, supported with community.
Yes, the platform uses AI because when it comes to importing recipes from a variety of formats, AI does a great job of mapping that into the structure we need. Not generative, just a tool. Will more AI functions be added - certainly in support of efficiencies and certainly not in generating recipes.. I suppose there will be things in the middle that take curation in a new direction, but that human element will always be the driving force.
What we actually need
I started this by saying we don't need more recipes and meal plans. I'll end it by saying what we do need: more people willing to put their name on something and stand behind it. Not an algorithm. A person with a point of view, a set of experiences, and an audience that trusts them enough to cook what they suggest on a Tuesday night.
Trust is built in those small moments - when the recipe works, when the meal plan fits, when someone feels like the person on the other side of the screen actually thought about them. AI can generate ten thousand recipes by the time you finish reading this sentence, you might even like them, but you won't have that emotional connection to the experience.
Works Cited
Capgemini Research Institute. "From hype to habit: How consumers are embracing AI." From hype to habit: How consumers are embracing AI, Capgemini Research Institute, 2026, https://www.capgemini.com/insights/research-library/ai-and-consumers-2025/. Accessed 30 June 2026.
Jaxon Parrott, Jaxon. "Gartner: 50% Prefer Non-AI Brands — But the Real Fix Isn't Disclosure." Gartner: 50% Prefer Non-AI Brands — But the Real Fix Isn't Disclosure, 2026, https://authoritytech.io/curated/gartner-consumer-genai-trust-earned-authority-ai-visibility-2026. Accessed 30 June 2026.
Market.US. "AI-driven Meal Planning Apps Market." AI-driven Meal Planning Apps Market, 2025, https://market.us/report/ai-driven-meal-planning-apps-market/. Accessed 30 June 2026.
Seeger, F., Wessel, M. & Lehrer, C. "AI content labeling and user engagement on social media: The role of AI level, content type, and disclosure timing." AI content labeling and user engagement on social media: The role of AI level, content type, and disclosure timing, 2026, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12525-026-00883-2#citeas. Accessed 30 June 2026.