An artisan roastery in Helsinki, Finland has made waves in the coffee industry by introducing a new blend developed by artificial intelligence. Kaffa Roastery, in collaboration with local AI consultancy Elev, launched the “AI-conic” blend at the Helsinki Coffee Festival, showcasing a unique combination of four different types of beans dominated by Brazil's Fazenda Pinhal. The AI, utilizing models similar to ChatGPT and Copilot, was tasked with creating a blend that would appeal to coffee enthusiasts, pushing the boundaries of traditional flavor combinations.

Svante Hampf, the founder of Kaffa Roastery, explained that they provided AI with descriptions of their coffee types and flavors, allowing the technology to craft a new and exciting blend. Despite the unconventional choice of using four different types of beans, the AI-created blend received positive feedback during blind testing, with Kaffa's coffee experts agreeing that no human adjustments were necessary. Antti Merilehto, a spokesman for Elev, highlighted that “AI-conic” is a prime example of how AI can offer new perspectives to seasoned professionals and provide coffee lovers with unique taste experiences.

The trial of the AI-assisted blend is seen as a first step in exploring how technology can enhance the traditional artisan profession of coffee roasting in Finland, a country known for its strong coffee culture and passion for innovation. Hampf expressed his belief that AI has much to offer the industry in the long run, emphasizing the successful collaboration between the artisan skills of the roastery and AI-provided data. The project has sparked discussions among coffee professionals about the potential future applications of AI in the coffee industry, with hopes of introducing new and exciting developments in the field.