UK – Beverage company Diageo has unveiled its Johnnie Walker x Scott Naismith collaboration, which uses generative AI to enable guests to personalize their own Johnnie Walker Blue Label bottle.
This innovative experience, believed to be the first to blend premium Scotch whisky with art and AI technology, will be available exclusively at the Edinburgh, Scotland venue from August 1 to 31, 2024.
Visitors will be prompted to answer three simple questions, which will influence key themes in Scottish artist Scott Naismith’s work and ultimately shape their bottle design.
The AI-driven prompts will generate various colors, locations, artistic styles, and times of day, resulting in a unique bottle design that will be printed in minutes.
Powered by ‘Project Halo,’ a Diageo Breakthrough Innovation, this technology enables brands and consumers to co-create personalized label designs and product artwork.
Leveraging generative AI allows consumers to design Diageo products in bespoke and relevant ways to their passions and interests.
This launch comes when consumers increasingly seek unique experiences and products that reflect their individuality, status, and personality. Personalization has become necessary, with consumers looking for entirely original items.
Diageo’s Breakthrough Innovation team actively seeks collaboration partners to test and learn new ideas.
‘Project Halo’ continues this commitment, partnering with industry-leading experts such as Phantom, Amazon AWS, Hybrid Software, GMG, and Roland DG.
For instance, Diageo uses Amazon’s Titan bedrock model, ensuring the ethical protection of artists’ work while allowing consumer co-creation.
The Johnnie Walker x Scott Naismith experience will be available for a limited time, accessible with every purchase of Johnnie Walker Blue Label in the venue’s retail store throughout August.
The bottle design experience can be complemented by a bookable expert-led tasting of Johnnie Walker Blue Label and a guided tasting of the limited-edition Johnnie Walker Blue Label ‘Elusive Umami’ in the rooftop Explorers’ Bothy bar.
Will Harvey, Senior Global Innovation Manager at Diageo, stated, “This is the first pilot in a wider platform that the Breakthrough Innovation team is exploring, looking at how we can use AI responsibly to enable co-collaboration between fans and artists.
“Demand for personalization shows no signs of slowing down, so we’re delighted to offer the chance to create one-of-a-kind AI-enabled designs with Scott.
“With Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s previous experience of using AI to enhance customer experiences, it’s the perfect place for us to launch this innovative offer to the world.”
Rob Maxwell, Head of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, added, “Since opening, Johnnie Walker Princes Street has striven to become a leader in using the power of AI to personalize guests’ experiences.
“Johnnie Walker x Scott Naismith is an exciting new step in our commitment to offering those with various tastes and interests something completely different from what’s available in the whisky experience market.
“This partnership is a true one-of-a-kind, and we can’t wait to see the designs our guests will print on their bottles.”
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