Chris’s Corner – How Is AI Going To Have An Effect On Our Sake Industry?
Greetings Sake Fans and Connoisseurs,
Chris here, back at it with another Chris's Corner column. This time around, I wanted to address the hot topic here in San Francisco and in our neighborhood Hayes Valley, "AI".
How is AI going to have an effect on our sake industry and True Sake? We already see it with our in-store customers... customers walking in staring at their phones, and using the AI recommendation for what sakes to get. I could imagine this happening at sake bars around the world too, which is weird because you have a sake somm right in front of you, ready to make recommendations.
I was originally going to put Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT up against each other and see who made the best recommendations. But, they all seemed to pitch the same brands: Dassai, Hakkaisan, Nanbu Bijin, Kubota, Hakutsuru, Rihaku, etc. Which makes total sense. These are the nationwide best-sellers, which can be found in wine shops, liquor stores, and supermarkets all over the country. They can also be found right here at True Sake! It'll be only a matter of time when AI starts to learn about the Japanese trends and figure out what the "deep cut sake geeks" are really drinking around the world.
In the meantime though, how can a mom-and-pop company like True Sake compete with AI? Since the True Sake staff does travel to Nihon pretty frequently, we can provide real time information on sake trends that are current and up-to-date with the Japanese trends. The staff here also has vast backgrounds in sake that may or may not have been published to the internet yet, so you'll be getting an oral history and explanation the old fashioned way, by word of mouth.
The human connection is also something that cannot be beat. In a world where everything is becoming automated, where you never have to leave your house, these human relationships are very important to establish, and quite frankly, something that I am wanting to maintain more than ever.
AI cannot pack a box, stock a shelf, vacuum, sweep, take out the trash, etc. AI cannot taste sake, yet. Luckily, the True Sake team stays sharp and does team tastings at least once a week, keeping the palates sharp, and keeping our shelves stocked and restocked with new classics and old favorites. Of course, we then put these reviews on our website, and we are doomed once again. But I digress. I wait for the day AI starts to mimic Beau-san's written voice, and we start to hear the famous catchphrases like, "How can rice and water taste like this?" In due time, I'm sure.
Till next time,
Chris
Self proclaimed sake luddite, not an AI expert