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A major Canadian craft beer competition has become the center of controversy after unexpectedly introducing artificial intelligence into the beverage judging process. The decision to integrate algorithms without warning sparked outrage among judges and members of the brewing community, who viewed it as interfering with the delicate tasting process.
The AI system evaluated the same samples as the human judges, using data accumulated from previous competitions: scores, notes on taste and aroma, and audio recordings of discussions. These materials formed the basis of an algorithm designed to mimic the human tasting process.
However, neither the participants nor the judges were informed in advance of the use of artificial intelligence in the judging, nor of the operating principle of this model, which is why many perceived the experiment as a covert attempt to undermine trust in their work and question the importance of human participation.
The company behind the experiment was Best Beer, which was preparing to launch an app that would select beer based on users’ taste preferences using artificial intelligence. The competition served as a testing ground for this technology.
However, even before the event concluded, one of the judges harshly criticized the proceedings, prompting the platform’s representatives to threaten legal action. This incident only fueled the conflict: many in the industry perceived it as an attempt to force algorithms into a field that has traditionally valued personal experience, intuition, and human judgment.
This case demonstrates how the conflict between humans and artificial intelligence has gradually extended beyond creative fields, involving hobbies and crafts, until reaching the most sacred of activities: wine tasting .
But judging by public reaction, the introduction of automated judging in such competitions will continue to meet with strong resistance.
Representatives of the brewing community emphasize that the essence of these competitions lies in the live experience and the subtlety of the evaluation, which cannot be reduced to calculations. Despite growing interest in technology, attempts to transfer subjective impressions to the realm of mechanical analysis raise doubts even among proponents of innovation: tasting relies too much on sensations, context, and individual perception.
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