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IBM brings AI to the fragrance industry

By Robyn Turk

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IBM has teamed up with fragrance producer Symrise to build an artificial intelligence computer to act as a perfumer. The tech company and fragrance manufacturer have worked in collaboration for about two years to create a machine that can build a scent.

The AI system is called “Philyra” and is capable of creating scents the same way a human perfumer would. It works by analyzing over 1.9 million digitally archived fragrance formulas that Symrise had already created, as well as thousands of raw ingredients. Philyra analyzes client guidelines and then creates a suitable scent.

Symrise’s Master Perfumer Dave Apel told Datanami that the AI learned the same way a perfumer would. “It essentially learned the combinations of materials that are aesthetically pleasing, if you will — things that have been traditionally seen to work together, a kind of balance of how the materials are harmonious or not, and where there is signature within a fragrance,” he said.

Philyra has already been used to design two perfumes set to launch next year. The fragrances were made for global beauty brand O Boticario, and are both unique perfumes that are aimed at Brazilian millennials.

Artificial Intelligence