The recently launched AI recipe bot at a New Zealand supermarket is proposing unusual and occasionally unsafe mixtures to shoppers.

What started as a solution to help customers use up leftover food turned into an unsavoury frenzy.

The app produces some unusual dishes – recommending customers recipes for deadly chlorine gas, “poison bread sandwiches” and mosquito-repellent roast potatoes.

It’s no surprise the Savey Meal-bot is powered by OpenAI technology, utilising GPT-3.5, the same software company that introduced ChatGPT.

Prompting users to input home ingredients, the AI generates recipes with cheerful remarks.

Social media noticed unappetising concoctions like the "Oreo vegetable stir-fry."

Since its June launch, New Zealanders on social media have posted amusing yet risky food concepts, such as formulas for chloramine gas, 'methanol bliss,' and an 'ant jelly delight' featuring ant poison-infused jelly.

As customers expanded their input to include a broader array of household items, the app's recommendations took an even less appetising turn.

It termed one concoction "aromatic water mix," which would actually produce chlorine gas. The bot strangely suggests this as a "refreshing non-alcoholic beverage" to satiate thirst.

“Serve chilled and enjoy the refreshing fragrance,” it says but does not note that inhaling chlorine gas can cause lung damage or death.

Liam Hehir, a political commentator from New Zealand, shared the "recipe" on Twitter, spurring fellow New Zealanders to try and disclose their outcomes on social platforms.

Suggestions ranged from a bleach "fresh breath" mocktail to ant-poison and glue sandwiches, a "bleach-infused rice surprise," and a curious "methanol bliss," a French toast with turpentine-like flavour.

The supermarket's representative expressed disappointment over a "minority misusing the tool," deviating from its intended use.

They mentioned plans to further refine the bot's controls for safety and utility, emphasizing that the terms and conditions require users to be over 18.

TRT World put the bot to the test by adding some everyday pantry staples. The Savey Meal-bot came up with a nutritious chicken pasta dish.

When TRT World added a wider range of household products like fabric conditioner, cookies and mint leaves, the following message popped up: “My stick-tech didn’t like that! Invalid ingredients found, or ingredients too vague. Please try again”!

This could be because, after the social media hype, the bot was updated to not spew out toxic recipes.

An attached caution on the meal planner clarifies that the recipes "aren't human-reviewed," and the company can't ensure their completeness, balance, or suitability for consumption.

“You must use your own judgement before relying on or making any recipe produced by Savey Meal-bot,” the supermarket's spokesperson said.