Califano, G.
About
Giovanbattista Califano, Ph.D., is a behavioural scientist working at the intersection of consumer psychology, food science, and experimental economics. He studies how sensory cues, AI-generated imagery, and information framing shape food perception and consumer choice.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow
Crossmodal Research Laboratory,
Department of Experimental Psychology,
University of Oxford
Non-stipendiary Junior Research Fellow
Somerville College,
University of Oxford
Research
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Works
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Citations
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H-index
AI and food, consumer choice modelling, sustainable food systems, crossmodal perception, applied statistics, experimental design.
| Selected publications | |
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Assessing the visual appeal of real/AI-generated food images
Giovanbattista Califano, Charles Spence Food Quality and Preference Tests whether people can tell AI-generated food images from real ones (and which they find more appetising). |
2024 |
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Overconfidence in nutritional knowledge is linked to unnecessary gluten-free consumption
Giovanbattista Califano, Riccardo Vecchio, Francesco Caracciolo Scientific Reports Finds that people who overestimate their nutritional knowledge are more likely to buy gluten-free products they do not medically need. |
2025 |
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Relating latent class membership to covariates and outcomes: Two bias-adjusted methods in Stata
Giovanbattista Califano, Rosa Fabbricatore Stata Journal Introduces the step3 command, correcting the classification-error bias that creeps in when latent classes are linked to covariates and outcomes.
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2026 |
Teaching
- Research Integrity (2026)
The course aims to provide doctoral students with a foundational understanding of research integrity, promoting awareness of ethical principles, good scientific practices, and responsible conduct across all stages of the research process. - Psychometrics for Consumer Science (2025 – 2026)
This advanced course equips postgraduate students with methodological and applied skills to measure latent constructs shaping consumer preferences, with a special focus on the agrifood sector. - Monday Lab (2025 – 2026)
The laboratory offers graduate students a practical extension of the Marketing & Consumer Science course, combining theory with real-world applications. Through teamwork and RPGs, students apply concepts such as market research, consumer analysis, strategy development, and communication planning to real-world scenarios.
Notes
| Recently posted | ||
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| [1] The latent bias in latent class analysis | 01.06.26 | |
In the news
| Selected media coverage | |
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| The Verge (2026) Why AI food looks like that |
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| The Guardian (2026) Uncanny and unappetizing: appetites spoil as AI images take over food menus |
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| Daily Mail (2026) AI vs reality: What 'delicious' takeaways being sold on Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and Just Eat REALLY look like - as apps are overcome with fake food photos |
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| Communications of the ACM (2025) AI in the kitchen |
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| BBC (2024) 'It looks like cat food': The grey goop dreamed up by artificial intelligence |
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| Rolling Stone (2024) AI images may be changing the way we look at food |
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| Daily Mail (2024) Fake food created by AI looks tastier than real dishes, scientists say - so, can you tell which of these are actual meals? |
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