--- title: "People Disgusted With Flavor of Coke’s AI-Generated Soda" description: "According to Gizmodo, Coca-Cola's new AI-inspired flavor called Y3000 is uninspired and downright terrible." date: "2023-09-26" modified: "2023-09-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/coca-cola-ai-generated-coke" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "coca cola" - "the digest" --- # People Disgusted With Flavor of Coke’s AI-Generated Soda ![According to Gizmodo, Coca-Cola's new AI-inspired flavor called Y3000 is uninspired and downright terrible.]() *\Image: Coca-Cola\* ## New Coke Unless you've been living under a rock, it won't come as a surprise that Coca-Cola has jumped on the AI bandwagon, asking an algorithm to come up with a new flavor. The flavor, dubbed "Year 3000," is apparently supposed to taste like the future — and quench your thirst, of course. But according to a new [hard-hitting new investigative report by *Gizmodo*](), the reality is far more sobering. According to the site's team, Y3000 isn't just a big downgrade from regular Coke, but it's downright unpleasant. The team didn't mince words, calling it "all bark and no bite," and simply "bad." "Don't drink it," advised *Gizmodo* breaking news reporter Kyle Barr. "The first time the bubbling liquid hits your tongue you expect the same acidic, carbonated sensation as a regular Coke," reads the report, "but the drink slithers to the back of the mouth and sits there, broiling with a numb triviality across your tastebuds." *Taste of Home*'s Gael Fashingbauer Cooper [was only slightly more enthusiastic](), calling the beverage a "worthy new sibling to its playful, if peculiar, predecessors" — but advised against buying a 12-pack. The [*Mary Sue* called it]() "predictably bad," while [*Insider* said]() it tasted like "when you mix all the drinks together at a soda fountain," noting that it was better at room temperature. ## Soda Pressing It's only the latest in an endless list of food and beverage companies to cook up AI-created drinks in hopes of viral attention, from [AI IPAs]() to [AI-inspired plant-based cheese](). But whether AI can actually improve any of these experiences remains to be seen. Unsurprisingly, Coca-Cola refused to reveal what's actually in Y3000 Zero Sugar, a drink the company claims [was "co-created" with AI](), per a press release. To really sell the new recipe, Coca-Cola included a wholly unnecessary gimmick in the form of an AR experience consumers can access by scanning a QR code, or in press-release-speak, "new pathways to deepen our engagement with existing fans." In short, is Coca-Cola's new Y3000 a new dawn in the history of mass-marketed soft drinks — or an awkward marketing ploy by checked-out execs? Given what we've seen so far, it's most likely the latter. **More on Coca-Cola:** *[Coca-Cola Signs Deal With OpenAI's DALL-E and ChatGPT]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()