AI Transforms Wine Production, Raising Concerns and Opportunities

Study finds wine professionals embrace AI for sustainability but resist it for creative tasks

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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A recent study examined how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the wine industry, from grape monitoring to taste prediction. While wine professionals are enthusiastic about using AI to address environmental challenges, they are more skeptical about AI systems that aim to replicate human creativity and sensory experience in winemaking.

Why it matters

The study provides insights into how the human brain responds to AI in tradition-bound industries like winemaking. It suggests that people are more comfortable with AI as a protective tool against threats like climate change, rather than as a creative partner that could challenge their sense of human uniqueness.

The details

The researchers surveyed 31 Italian wine industry professionals and found that 29% already use AI for tasks like grape monitoring and logistics. The study examined six "enabling technologies" where AI can enhance human decision-making, including human-machine collaboration, smart materials to track conditions, digital twins for simulation, intelligent winemaking, AI tasting systems, and environmental management. While respondents rated environmental management applications highly, they were more skeptical about AI tasting systems that aim to replicate human sensory analysis.

  • The study was conducted in 2025.

The players

Festa G. and colleagues

Researchers who conducted the study on AI in the wine industry.

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What they’re saying

“Approximately 29 percent already use AI for tasks such as grape monitoring and logistics management, and there's a widespread belief that AI will significantly expand across wine business operations within five years.”

— Festa G. and colleagues, Researchers (Psychology Today)

What’s next

The study suggests that the wine industry could be an ideal testing ground for implementing human-centric AI, where technology respects and augments human expertise rather than replacing it.

The takeaway

The study highlights the human brain's complex relationship with technology, where people are more comfortable with AI as a protective tool against threats like climate change, rather than as a creative partner that could challenge their sense of human uniqueness. The wine industry's embrace of AI for sustainability but skepticism towards AI for creative tasks reflects this dynamic.