Post-human palates: How artificial intelligence and synthetic food imagery redefine taste, authenticity, and place in tourism

This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic food imagery are associated with changes in the sensory, emotional, and spatial dimensions of gastronomic tourism. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework and posthumanist theory, it conceptualizes AI not merely as a technological instrument but as an affective co-creator of experience that is statistically associated with perceptions of emotional realism and symbolic meaning. Using survey data from 898 participants at Berlin Food Week 2025, the research develops and validates a six-factor structural model comprising AI-Driven Tourism Perception, Synthetic Food Imagery Perception, Digital Engagement Experience, Taste–Place Reinterpretation, Authenticity and Trust, and AI-Influenced Tourist Behavior. The findings suggest the presence of an anticipatory, image-mediated dimension of authenticity, in which perceived sensory satisfaction is statistically associated with algorithmically mediated affective and aesthetic cues. The results are consistent with posthuman interpretations of taste and place, suggesting that digitally mediated representations are linked to anticipatory evaluations of authenticity and embodiment. The study contributes to tourism theory by integrating digital aesthetics and authenticity within a posthuman analytical framework and provides practical insights for destination marketers seeking to balance technological creativity with ethical transparency in AI-generated communication.