Welcome to the First Sippers Newsletter - where we explore cutting-edge trends and transformative technologies that are reshaping the beverage industry and beyond. Each edition will deliver curated insights aligned to the forward-thinking programming you'll experience at the 2025 First Sippers Summit. Our intention is to inspire innovative thinking with thought-provoking content. Artificial Intelligence is in focus for this, the first edition.
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Google Activates AI Mode: What Brands Need to Know about Its Latest AI Products
At its recent annual development meeting, Google devoted the entire opening keynote to its latest slew of AI products and features, underscoring the urgency that the company must be feeling given the rising threats to its core search business. We explore the key announcements — from AI Mode in search to new MR headset prototypes — to examine Google’s strategy in bringing AI to its billions of users, and how that might change consumer behaviors and product discovery.
The AI Agents Are Coming — Is Your Brand Ready?
The imminent wave of fully automated AI agents is designed to execute complex, multi-step tasks across various applications without constant human guidance or individual training. Some innovation-forward brands are already testing the incorporation of agentic AI into its operational workflow. We examine AI agent’s short-term impact on short-term enterprise use cases as well as consumer-facing use cases in the long run.
Decoding the AI Revolution — and Backlash — of UGC
The influencer marketing bubble is deflating under the weight of saturation, repetition, and waning trust, and the widespreading “AI slop” content is about to make it worse. As backlash grows against inauthentic or exploitative uses of AI, especially by brands and companies, creators are migrating to alternative platforms like Discord and Substack that offer community-first models over algorithmic exposure.
Ep. 170 : AI Mode, Agentic Web, & more from Google I/O 2025
On the latest Floor 9 episode, the Lab team assembles to discuss in-depth about everything brand marketers need to know about the AI-centric announcements coming out of Google’s latest developer event and its larger industry context.
From Google’s ambition of using AI Mode to transform its search products, to the “agentic web” that the AI stakeholders are aiming towards, the team places the various key announcements within the larger industry context and discuss their implications for consumers and brands alike. Listen now to learn more about how you brand should respond to the latest developments in consumer-facing AI.
AI in The Beverage Alcohol Marketplace – Simply the Basics [NABACA]
This joint report by the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association and Brown Forman sets the foundation for what spirit brands need to understand about integrating responsible AI into the business.
Consumer Appetite for AI-Driven Drink Recommendations is Growing [Morning Star]
Consumers are looking at how technology can make their lives easier, the insights of an AI sommelier can make alcohol less intimidating. A recent survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, commissioned by DRINKS and conducted by Dynata, found that 31% of adults over the age of 21 have already used AI to aid in alcohol selection, and 71% would be interested in adopting the technology if offered by liquor stores and online retailers.
Conversational AI Stirs Up Spirit Sector’s Digital Transformation [PYMNTS]
Chat is the new UI that will enable retailers to capture nuanced customer preferences. The ongoing shift toward “personalized shopping agents” that seamlessly integrate with platforms like Amazon and Shopify will bring conversational commerce to the spirit sector.
Personalized, Automated, and On the Rocks: How AI Is Changing Alcohol E-Commerce [FLAVIAR]
From smarter product recommendations to personalized email campaigns and dynamic ads, this article breaks down how leading beverage alcohol brands are using AI to improve customer experience and boost e-commerce sales. For example: Diageo launched the “What’s Your Whisky” chatbot to help customers explore flavor profiles and match with whiskies that suit their preferences.
AI: A New and Impactful Player in the Quality Evaluation of Wine [Harvard Data Science Review]
Throughout history, wine has been a blend of art, craft, and sensory delight. Today, the addition of AI adds a fascinating modern twist, offering precision and personalization like never before. In this article, Jing Cao uncorks how AI is reshaping wine evaluation, pouring new possibilities into the consumer experience.
Two Paths for A.I. [The New Yorker]
This New Yorker article highlights the lack of critical consensus in how fast AI will develop and what we should do about it. While some warn of an impending intelligence explosion, some experts argue that AI will remain a slow-developing, manageable technology bound by real-world limitations. But, regardless of AI's pace, human accountability and deliberate governance must remain central.
AI Agents Will Change Product Discovery — Be Prompt-Ready
With Google’s AI Mode and the rise of agentic AI, consumers will increasingly rely on conversational interfaces to explore cocktail recipes, gift ideas, or event recommendations. Ensure your brand is optimized for AI discoverability — from structured data on your website to prompt-ready brand messaging that agents can easily parse and recommend.
Authenticity — Automation in a Distrustful Content Landscape
Consumers are increasingly skeptical of low-effort influencer content and “AI slop.” In this climate, your brand should lean into authentic storytelling, using real creators with genuine communities rather than chasing mass reach through generic AI content. Collaborate with micro-creators in nightlife, food, and hospitality who can bring CBI products into real, human moments.
Use AI Transparently and Creatively — Not as a Shortcut
Instead of using AI to generate consumer-facing content, start by using it behind the scenes to improve speed, insight, and creative operations. From automating A/B testing for campaign assets to forecasting demand for seasonal releases, new AI tools can help the CBI team move faster and smarter — freeing up human creatives to focus on storytelling and brand-building. The key is to treat AI as a strategic enabler, not a creative shortcut.
Next Week
Look out for Edition #02 | Sports & Entertainment dropping in your inbox next Friday, June 6th!
If you find our insights valuable and would like to have a deeper conversation on technology and media innovations, please feel free to reach out to Ryan Miller, our Director of Partnerships at ryan.miller@ipglab.com