South Korea’s leading convenience store chain GS25 owned by GS Group has announced that it is launching a whiskey highball, claimed to be the first in the world that has incorporated AI technology into its creation from taste to packaging.
The AI-designed cocktail is called AskUp Lemon Sparkling Highball. It was a result of partnership between GS25 and Brewguru, a startup brewing company, to apply AI-based knowledge in developing and introducing the cocktail.
This offering is the world’s first alcoholic drink that incorporates AI’s expertise into its decision-making process for the taste, recipe, design, name, price and alcohol content.
The technology used in the design is called AskUp, a ChatGPT-based chat box developed by AI startup Upstage. The cocktail was created after posing a series of questions to the chatbox, which included “Provide me with a delicious highball recipe,” “How should I design the can for this highball?” and “What price range is suitable for this highball?”
The cocktail is geared towards Korea’s young consumers who are familiar with AI technology and have grown to like whisky highballs. Strong interest in whisky from millennials and Gen Z has driven Korea’s whisky imports to record high last year.
In addition to the AI cocktail, GS25 says it is also developing other products and aims to become a retail platform that provides customers with enhanced experience and value.
Han Gu-jong, a member of GS25’s alcoholic beverages planning team, expressed excitement about using AI to develop this drink, saying, “Introducing AI-planned alcoholic products for the first time in the world feels like we are making history in retail distribution.”
