At the HumanX tech conference in Amsterdam, a Sifted reporter stopped at a booth where a machine filled with wires, lights, and liquid tubes was mixing a custom cologne. The setup was an AI-powered fragrance system that asked the reporter about personal taste and then produced a scent on the spot. The resulting formula, a blend of several components, was surprisingly wearable.
The reporter, initially skeptical, admitted the AI-generated perfume smelled good. The article notes that the technology could be a tool for personalization in the fragrance business, though it stops short of predicting that AI will replace human perfumers. Instead, the experience suggests AI can assist in creating bespoke scents, a niche that has traditionally been the domain of expert noses.
Because this is a single first-person account, it doesn't provide a broader market analysis. But it does illustrate how AI is moving into sensory and creative industries, where success depends on subjective taste. For business readers, the takeaway is that AI-driven personalization is expanding beyond software and into physical products like perfume.