Artificial Expertise
An algorithm as sommelier?
Computers have long asked humans to prove that they aren’t robots, so it was only a matter of time before machines learned to compose surprisingly sophisticated wine and beer product commentary— without tasting a drop. Computer science researchers, including prof Daniel Rockmore and Tuck doctoral research fellow Keith Carlson, fed hundreds of thousands of published wine and beer reviews into their algorithm. The code quickly tossed off critical remarks such as “Pretty dark for a rose, and full-bodied, with cherry, raspberry, vanilla, and spice flavors. It’s dry with good acidity.” The research, published in International Journal of Research in Marketing in February, suggests that the computer-generated content could assist humans with their marketing efforts.
