Even Absolut Vodka Is Using AI Now
Vodka is a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, and big brands like Absolut Vodka are practically omnipresent at your local bar or nightclub. But that doesn't mean they'll stop marketing their product. Since 1979, the beverage company has been a major player in the world of alcohol, with a range of different Absolut Vodka flavors and varieties. However, as much as Absolut has continued to release new products over the years to remain relevant (its newest flavor, Wild Berri, came out in March 2023), the vodka company has never made an announcement like this before.
Joining the proverbial bandwagon, Absolut Vodka has announced, according to a press release, that it's joined the ranks of food and beverage brands utilizing the power of artificial intelligence. However, this is specifically a campaign aimed at Canadian vodka drinkers, as it has not been utilized in the U.S. yet. The A.I. tool was prompted with words to create a faux alcoholic drink that represented specific cities across Canada. The company's website currently shows over a dozen examples of this colorful and sometimes odd "art." Using the images, the brand then worked to create real cocktails.
Is artificial the way to go?
Whether you think A.I. is just a harmless distraction, a vaguely interesting tool, or the end of humanity, you have to admit Aboslut Vodka's use of the tech is fairly tame. Other food and beverage brands have been exploring ways to fundamentally implement A.I. technology into key aspects and functions of their business. Obviously not to hand it over to our soon-to-be robot rulers, but instead to try and make things more seamless. Wendy's is one of the most prominent examples of this; the brand said it will be testing an A.I.-operated drive-thru from Google Cloud in Ohio. It's unclear how that will turn out, especially when it comes to the potential loss of jobs for actual humans.
The ethics and ramifications of brands using artificial intelligence are still up for debate for a plethora of reasons. But in terms of Absolut's use of A.I. to make images, there is a lot to be said about what is considered creativity and original thought and whether or not what A.I. does is that. Mindmatters explains that a lot of what A.I. generates is flawed, which is why these platforms have options for engineers to make tweaks in order to create the desired final image. Absolut saw an opportunity to generate buzz across their Canadian market and it may work — either way we're curious to see whether other brands will take note of this A.I.-inspired campaign.