The future of sparkling water

Now that it’s summer, I’m inhaling flavored seltzers - you know, the carbonated waters that taste as if you’re drinking plain water while someone gently mists your face with mango juice. My favorite flavor is pink grapefruit, but I’m always a sucker for trying new flavors.

What, I inevitably asked, would AI-generated flavors be like?

I prompted a neural net called GPT-2 345M (via talktotransformer.com) with the existing list of flavors from LaCroix, and now I have a list of LaCroix flavors you won’t find at your local store.

First, there are the flavors that are edible, if exceedingly strange.

Chilli orange-peel
Green pepper
Pomegranate-rosemary
Mashed avocado
Lemon-Miso
Pumpkin
Apple cider vinegar
Mulberry-floral jam
Peanut butter
Bread-glaze
Parsley-orange
Mushroom & Garlic Tea
Mungbean
Olive oil
Sage
Kelp
Rye, grape
Ketchup
Feta cheese
Peanuts and cream
Pancake flavored with vanilla

These flavors I’m less sure are edible. Careful questions might be warranted.

Alpaca milk
Bamboo, Pineapple
Bumble Bee
Fir
Figs, Sachets
Cyanide-free
Tequila Tea
Palladium
Lava
E-cigarette blend
Methamphetamine
Herbicide and deodorant
Tiger food and food and drink mix
Essence of tobacco, apple, grapefruit, pineapple, coconut, vanilla Bean & Cinnamon-Choco-Peanut Butter

Some of my favorites are when the neural net attempts to be very gourmet. These are either entirely unrealistic, or entirely plausible as drinks at certain bars.

Cotton candy flavored with a pinch of salt and sugar
Pimms with apple gin from Scotland
A dark, floral-mango drink with black peppercorns
Wine and orange tea combined on an oak spoon
Danish strawberry cake flavored with cherry, raspberry, honey, and a sprinkle of chocolate.
Ink on the top of the bottle: Blackberry-apple green tea, grapefruit tea.
Eyeglasses: Holly, gold, green tea, grapefruit and orange.
Eyes like a bird’s with a small tail: Cherry, green tea, black tea, raspberry, cherry-apple, orange, rose and lilac.

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