I compared AI food photos at the 2026 CNE to the real deal and was surprised

When you think of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), the first thing that comes to mind is its absurd stunt foods. But this year, vendors at the 2026 CNE are serving up deep-fried everything with a (possible) side of misconceptions: many are turning to AI to make their food look almost too good to eat.

This year's attraction has already been on the radar of AI skeptics, with many bashing vendors who are leaning heavily on artificial intelligence to create their marketing collateral.

So, with rumours rife, I took it upon myself to compare some popular dishes, see how close the real things came to the marketing, and determine if AI had a hand in any of it.

Here's where I'll start: it was almost instantly clear to me that AI-generated marketing imagery had landed in the 2026 CNE food scene. There's something almost hypnotic about walking through Food Truck Frenzy and seeing these AI-generated food photos.

Everything is bigger. Crispier. More vibrant. More loaded — and undeniably fake. Why? Because the sauces somehow drizzle perfectly, the toppings look strategically scattered, and everything appears to have been done with the precision of a food stylist.

And although the images instantly look digitally generated, I still couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed when some of the following foods actually came my way.

Chicken Gyro Wrap

Sorry, Curbside Dogs, but this was a huge miss. The AI marketing image showed a gyro wrap that looked absolutely loaded. There were generous pieces of chicken, onions, fries, and a very convincing amount of tzatziki, all neatly tucked into what looked like a perfectly toasted pita.

The real thing? Not quite.

No onion or sauce was in sight, and while the pita was toasted, it didn't have the char marks shown in the marketing image. The whole thing looked noticeably less loaded than its digitally-enhanced counterpart.

The image promised a gyro bursting with flavour. What I got was a much more stripped-down version.

Oreo Churroloop with Caramel Dressing

Photo by: Sandeep Panesar

This one was, without question, the biggest disappointment of the bunch. The advert basically dangled the carrot in front of the donkey: visible scoops of vanilla ice cream, full-sized Oreos, caramel and a giant churro sitting on top like the crown jewel.

I thought Pancho's Bakery had it in the bag.

But the real dessert looked considerably less ambitious. There were no full-sized Oreos, and the ice cream had more of a melted-milkshake consistency — it hadn't held its shape.

But one visual saving grace stood out: the heart-shaped churro, which I found quite cute. Even then, I was only impressed by the shape, because one bite felt more like a mouthful of oil than anything else.

I must say, the AI image made this look like the kind of CNE dessert you'd want to spend the rest of your day thinking about — and maybe even go back for more.

Biscoff Fried Chicken Ice Cream Sandwich

Photo by: Sandeep Panesar

This one actually surprised me. I genuinely didn't expect Los Vietnamita Taqueria's Biscoff Fried Chicken Ice Cream Sandwich to hit any kind of mark. But it did, coming quite close, in my opinion, to its AI image.

Sure, the real thing wasn't nearly as polished. The proportions weren't quite as perfect and, naturally, the food didn't have that suspiciously immaculate AI sparkle. But the basic idea translated surprisingly well.

The buttery bun, melting ice cream and Biscoff syrup combination created almost the same visual effect as the marketing image.

Keyword: almost.

It didn't feel like the vendor had used AI to exaggerate the dish by miles, and it definitely didn't feel like a misrepresentation.

Banh Mi Taco

Photo by: Sandeep Panesar

Another featured dish by Los Vietnamita Taqueria is the Banh Mi Taco. Simply put, the AI version was having a better day than the real one.

The marketing image was more vibrant, the fish looked noticeably crispier, and the purple cabbage had that bright, colourful quality that seems to be an AI imagery signature at this point.

In reality, the fish didn't have quite the same crispy appearance, and the citrusy purple cabbage just didn’t look as pickled.

Visually, there was a definite gap, but that didn't stop people from buying it. The steady stream of customers walking away with tacos made it clear that whatever visual shortcomings the food had weren't stopping people from giving it a shot.

Or maybe AI was actually doing its job.

Butter Chicken Taquito

Photo by: Sandeep Panesar

If there was one vendor I was especially curious about, it was Rick's Good Eats. This Greater Toronto Area (GTA) hotspot is known for taking beloved classics and giving them a South Asian twist, so when I saw that its 2026 CNE marketing was also, seemingly, leaning into AI imagery, I took my spot in line.

The butter chicken taquito looked enormous in the AI image — pretty much foot-long — with a crispy shell and generous garnishing. And there were plenty of people walking away from the truck with one in hand. But once I got a closer look, the difference was pretty obvious.

The real taquito had a much darker, at times nearly burnt-looking shell compared with the golden, crisp exterior in the AI image. They had also pulled back on the garnish. Instead of the generous cilantro and onions shown in the marketing, there was very little happening on top. I guess they figured the light drizzle of butter chicken sauce would suffice.

Kimchi Fries

Photo by: Sandeep Panesar

Twisted Gourmet & Co.'s Kimchi Fries were one example of a dish that didn't leave me feeling cheated. The AI image was extremely vibrant, with the kind of presentation designed to make you drool, but I still think justice was (kind of) served. 

And although the real deal wasn't projecting all those colours, the fries were full, loaded with toppings and visually impressive in their own right. Sure, the AI version was a little more polished — because, well, it's AI — but this was one case where the marketing image and the food in front of me looked like they were part of the same family.

After comparing six 2026 CNE foods, I expected to walk away convinced that AI food marketing was a terrible idea. Do I still stand by that opinion? Maybe.

The fact that a couple of the foods actually somewhat lived up to their expectations isn't actually what surprised me most. What did was the fact that the customers didn't seem to care.

People weren't walking around the 2026 CNE holding up their food next to the marketing photos and demanding to know where the missing onions were, like I was.

They were lining up for popular foods. Eating the said food. And then hitting the neighbouring vendor for their next stunt-food fix.

And maybe that's because CNE food has never really been about looking perfect, but more about novelty. People actually come to try ridiculous food — cue the KD Smoothie because I'm still not over it — and if anyone is questioning the AI, perhaps the flavours jump in to rescue the dish (and the vendor).

One can also consider that AI images aren't necessarily inventing a completely different food. Small businesses strapped for marketing cash may be turning to these fabricated photos to save that extra dollar.

But of course, there's a fine line between making your food look appetizing and creating an expectation the actual dish can't meet. So I guess vendors have to work harder to make sure AI isn't creating that false expectation.

So, did the AI-generated food images at the 2026 CNE pass the computer-generated-versus-reality test? I'd say it's definitely hit-or-miss.