Beck’s Autonomous: Beer That Made Itself

To celebrate the brewery's 150th anniversary, Beck's has released Autonomous, a futuristic-looking limited-edition beer created with artificial intelligence (AI). One of the first artificially produced beers in the world, Beck's Autonomous has a recipe, a container, a brand, and an advertising campaign made exclusively by AI.
A small batch of Becks Autonomous was released on April 12, 2023 at 12 PM CET via the dedicated page on the Becks website, and it disappeared within seconds.

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becks autonomous

Illustration: MilicaM

Beck’s has collaborated with AI to produce its take on the ideal recipe since it has the capacity to create delectable flavors at breakneck speed. The finished brew is a mixture of natural water, malts, hops, and yeast coupled with a fifth secret ingredient—years of human experience, craft, and creativity. All this was compiled by AI’s watchful eye. The beer was produced in Beck’s brewery headquartered in Bremen. 

The process of making 

Beck’s has long been an innovator in the beer industry, developing the first green bottles, the first six-pack of beers, and the first hops to be sent into space. The brewery used Chat GPT and Midjourney to create the beer, branding, and marketing while experimenting with artificial intelligence for the first time. The company worked with the tech on editing and continued development until a final version was provided. 

Having given the name Beck’s Autonomous, AI also designed a unique logo a cutting-edge container was created. Beck’s then used artificial intelligence to produce all the materials for the upcoming advertising campaign. To show off the limited-edition Beck’s Autonomous in all its splendor, it created images and a rotating 360 video of the newly built container.  

This is the very first time that artificial intelligence generated a product that can be held, tasted, touched, and smelled. On April 12 at noon CET, Beck’s Brewery distributed 450 limited-edition Autonomous beers in Germany, Italy, and the UK, giving people the chance to sample this innovative and cutting-edge brew. 

To get a free sample, users had to join the waiting list via the brewery’s website.  

After being at the forefront of the brewing world for 150 years, this represents the next step in our journey. It’s been fascinating to see Beck’s Autonomous come to life and how we can continue to embrace new technology in the industry and across brand communications. At Beck’s we know it takes the passion of our brewers and people to make this beer that is enjoyed over the world, and we believe the multi-channel campaign for the revolutionary beer still connects with people on a human-level, despite being created and led by AI. We hope beer-fans across Europe snap up and enjoy Autonomous as a truly revolutionary drink.
Laura Salway, marketing director at Beck's

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