There’s a trend for customized spirits, with bottles that are labelled or otherwise personalized to the drinker. But Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker is taking that idea one step further, with bottles that each have their personalized artwork generated by AI. The artwork is produced in the style of Scottish artist Scott Naismith, who is known for his dreamy and brightly colored version of Scottish landscapes. Now, visitors to the Johnnie Walker venue in Princes Street, Edinburgh, will be able to get a bottle of Scotch adorned with their own version of a Naismith-inspired artwork.
Generative AI has been controversial in the art world, with many artists angry that their work has been used without permission or payment to train the models on which software like Midjourney operates. But in this case, Naismith has worked with the brand to use the style of his artwork with permission. Visitors to the venue will also see original versions of his art which will be on display.
Visitors to the venue will answer three questions which will influence the colors, location, and style of the generated artwork, which will be printed and added to their bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. The experience is available through the month of August.
“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,” said Will Harvey, Senior Global Innovation Manager at Diageo. “Demand for personalisation 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.”
