Hazmi

26.02.2025

Before we dive into the results, let’s clarify one thing: this is not a measure of how accurate the AI is in absolute terms, but rather how accurate it is compared to human guesses. Since even humans vary widely in their estimations, this comparison helps us understand how well AI aligns with typical human judgment.

Calorie tracking can feel like a hassle, especially when you have to manually log every meal. That’s why we built Tied—to make tracking as simple as taking a photo. Our AI estimates the calories based on the image, but a big question remains: How well does it compare to human guesses?

To answer this, we put our AI to the test against real human estimations sourced from Reddit. We analyzed how often AI predictions matched human guesses within an acceptable range of ±10%. The results? AI was within range about 77% of the time.

What Does 77% “Within Range” Actually Mean?

At first glance, 77% might seem promising—but let’s take a step back. Human calorie estimation isn’t an exact science either. If you ask five different people to guess the calories of a meal, you’ll likely get five different answers.

So instead of asking, “Does AI match human guesses?”, a better question is: “Does AI provide a useful and consistent estimate?”

How AI Compares to Human Estimation

We found that while AI didn’t always match human guesses exactly, it provided a reasonable ballpark estimate in most cases. Here’s what we observed:

• ✅ AI was within 10% of human guesses 77% of the time
• ⚖️ AI tended to be more consistent than humans, even if it didn’t always match them
• 🔺 In some cases, humans disagreed more with each other than with AI

Is AI More Reliable Than Humans?

It depends on what you mean by “reliable.” If reliability means being as varied as human intuition, then AI isn’t there yet. But if reliability means providing a consistent, data-driven estimate, then AI is already proving useful.

After all, even professional dietitians don’t estimate calories with perfect accuracy. The goal isn’t precision down to the last calorie, but giving users a quick, practical estimate that helps them make better choices.

What’s Next for AI Estimation?

At Tied, we’re always improving our AI. By training it on more diverse datasets and refining how it interprets different meal types, we aim to make it even better over time. And since AI learns from feedback, the more users engage with it, the smarter it gets.

So, is AI calorie estimation perfect? No. But is it already a powerful tool for effortless tracking? Absolutely.

Try it out for yourself and see how it compares to your own estimates. You might be surprised! 🚀

Data Source