Press Releases

Budapest, April 4, 2023 16:00

Can a fragrance be intelligent? With the help of artificial intelligence and a well-known perfumer, Virág Kiss, Telekom created an Easter sprinkling perfume. During this year’s holiday Telekom proves that digital wonders can help in more and more areas of life; AI can even have an effect on our senses.

Probably no one has ever come across an Easter sprinkler that had a pleasant fragrance. For girls a thorough hair wash is guaranteed on Easter Monday afternoon, while boys will have a lasting reminder of the tradition on their hands for some days after the holidays. This has been like this for ages, but this year Telekom decided to use digitalization to create a perfume that finally smells really nice, while keeping the tradition alive.

Smart answer, smart perfume

Before this Easter Telekom asked the AI how to create a sprinkler that smells nice to everyone. The recipe recommended by ChatGPT was fine-tuned by Virág Kiss, perfumer, who created a limited edition of the fragrance - a good example of how humans and artificial intelligence can cooperate.

Telekom's aim was to test AI with this experiment. The technology is used successfully in a growing number of areas, but many people are still reluctant to use it. The company feels it a responsibility to make life easier for people at individual level and use new opportunities for their own benefit, but it is important to ensure that they use them consciously. Easter was a good occasion to experiment. Telekom's philosophy is that digital tools help everyone to develop in their own lives. The success that comes from this source can influence the world around us. The fact that AI can be used effectively as an experiment proves that digital wonders can help in all areas of life, if used the right way.

"I've been fascinated by fragrances since I was a child, I've been studying perfumery for six years and I've been doing it professionally for a year, so I was happy to take part in this experiment. I had no problems with working with AI, I found it interesting to cooperate. I took it as a recommendation, a general opinion on what a good scent for a perfume is. I finetuned the recipe before using the one suggested by AI, creating the right proportions then we were ready” said Virág Kiss about the work process.

Ideas, fragrances from AI

Telekom asked the AI, among other things, "What would be a nice smelling sprinkle that boys would use at Easter?"  The AI replied that the fragrance should be fresh, floral, light, soft, and made of long-lasting, natural ingredients. As the answer shows, nice smelling perfumes are definitely not too strong and not too heavy. According to the language model the durability of the fragrance is also an important factor, as sprinklers need to smell pleasant all day long. The AI also explained that perfumes made with natural ingredients are better for Easter sprinkling because the scent of flowers and plants is strongly connected to the holiday’s atmosphere.

The next question was about a recipe: the AI was asked to think like a perfumer. The artificial intelligence would create the perfect fragrance with the following ingredients:

• pure alcohol
• distilled water
• orange oil
• lemon oil
• bergamot oil
• rose oil
• lavender

Virág Kiss removed lavender from the recipe and replaced it with linden blossom and lily of the valley, aligned to the taste of Hungarian women.

You may watch a video on making the perfume here: https://www.facebook.com/TelekomHU/videos/3474363909466877

Always the smarter one

“It turned out that the artificial intelligence can create useable  sensory creations. Thus AI is not only present in the area of practice and art but also in experimenting. However, the human factor and expertise should not be missed out from this kind of creative processes. A human expert is always needed. Nevertheless, the unstoppable development in this area suggests that digital tools need to be viewed from a new angle , said Béla Szabó, Telekom's Brand and Retail Communications Director.

The current language models that attract a lot of interest are still at the stage of processing the knowledge we have accumulated and recorded so far. It is our job, he said, to extract the right proposals from this system and use this knowledge by developing it further. As digitalization is different in everyone's life, it is very important to find the right tool for yourself. The conscious use of AI seems to help more and more people. Telekom is committed to digitalization therefore the company has a special responsibility in this process - which is why, according to Béla Szabó, similar experiments are important.

The company will offer the perfume, created in cooperation between AI and the perfumer expert, at several flagship stores across the country so that customers may enjoy the fragrance. The perfume is not yet commercially available, so those wishing to test it can do so at the following locations:

Western Hungary:
Pécs, Árkád – 7622 Pécs, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky u. 11/1.
Szombathely, Fő tér – 9700 Szombathely, Fő tér 17.

Eastern Hungary:
Eger, Agria Park – 3300 Eger, Törvényház u. 4.
Debrecen, Fórum – 4029 Debrecen, Csapó u. 30.

Central Hungary:
Budapest, Allee –1117 Budapest, Október 23. utca 8-10.
Budapest, Westend – 1062 Budapest, Váci út 1-3.