Blue Bottle Coffee and Viral Art Sensation Devon Rodriguez Team Up for "The Human-Generated Art Experiment"

As AI adoption accelerates, the first-of-its-kind event demonstrates the enduring value of hand-crafted art.

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Bottle Coffee and the most followed, viral, visual artist Devon Rodriguez, who skyrocketed to fame for his emotion-filled subway paintings, teamed up for the "Human-Generated Art Experiment" in New York City on October 25. The first-of-its-kind experience, hosted over cups of Blue Bottle Coffee's Home Blend portfolio, explored whether artificial intelligence (AI) can craft artwork with the same emotion a human can.

With AI receiving up to a million average monthly searches on Google and a recent surge in AI art, there's an increased consumer curiosity around new ways of leveraging the technology. As a brand built on the ritual of hand-crafted coffee, Blue Bottle values the time, passion and emotion that goes into making every cup, emphasizing the human touch from roasting to brewing. Through this experiment, the brand invited people to explore where the value of human-generated art stands today – whether a painted canvas or a pour-over coffee at home.   

Onsite, Rodriguez and an AI image generator simultaneously created works of art from the same prompt. Attendees witnessed the two vastly different processes in real-time as Rodriguez brought to life his realist oil painting over seven hours. Viewers also learned about the brand's 20+ years of artistry in deliciously crafted coffee to inspire them to incorporate the ritual of pour over coffee into their morning routines.

"As technology continues to evolve, we will always maintain a deep appreciation for crafting by hand because of the unique experiences and feeling humans infuse into the art they make," said Jeff Cha, Chief Brand & Growth Officer at Blue Bottle Coffee. "At Blue Bottle, we bring artistry and a human touch to everything we do from sourcing coffee to roasting and brewing. With this experiment, in collaboration with Devon, we hope to remind people of the value of human-generated art, from their at-home coffee to a painted canvas."

Rodriguez's completed piece was valued against comparable work, his first painting Girl on Subway [phillips.com], at the Philips De Pury Contemporary Art Day, which sold for over 50x the $400 Shutterstock licensing fee for the AI-generated piece. While AI art continues to evolve, this experiment showcases the difference in process – from the time and experience to artistry and emotion. For inquiries on Rodriguez's artwork, please reach out to [email protected].

"As an artist, I've been staying close to the latest AI advancements, especially those that allow users to create art within a matter of seconds, using as little as a three-word text prompt. For me, art is more than just a blend of colors and brush strokes on a canvas. It infuses my emotions and the emotions from who I'm drawing," said artist Devon Rodriguez. "That's why this experiment is so important to me. I appreciate how Blue Bottle recognizes our artistry and reaffirms the value of handmade art."

At the event, attendees were able to enjoy Blue Bottle Coffee's Home Blend portfolio which features organic light, medium, and dark roasts, each crafted for the best expression of that flavor profile. The varieties include Bright, Bold, Balanced, Espresso, and Decaf blends. Consumers everywhere can experience the art of brewing coffee at home by picking up Blue Bottle Coffee Home Blends at Target stores nationwide or online at Amazon.com. 

About Blue Bottle Coffee: 
Blue Bottle Coffee was founded by James Freeman in Oakland, California, in 2002 with a simple yet revolutionary idea: to serve delicious coffee, roasted fresh and brewed to order, sourced from the finest coffee farms. Today, Blue Bottle is a global network of cafes in the US and Asia. We are the leader in specialty coffee, driven by our obsession for quality and our commitment to environmental health. Our belief is simple and our goal unchanged: to connect the world to delicious coffee, because delicious coffee makes life more beautiful. Follow Blue Bottle on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or visit bluebottlecoffee.com for more information.

About Devon Rodriguez: 
Devon Rodriguez (b. 1996) is a Honduran-Puerto Rican-American artist and painter from the South Bronx. As a young adult, inspired by his love of graffiti, Rodriguez pursued his passion for art with aspirations to attend the esteemed High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. Despite facing initial disappointment when his application was rejected, he resiliently enrolled in Samuel Gompers High School in the South Bronx. It was there that he encountered a transformative art teacher, Jeremy Harper, whose encouragement spurred Rodriguez to persistently refine his skills and pursue his dreams as an artist.

In 2011, Rodriguez finally secured admission to the High School of Art and Design, where he expanded his practice and first started to draw fellow passengers on the subway, as he often rode the No. 6 train connecting the Bronx and Manhattan. Rodriguez rose to attention in 2019 when he was nominated as a finalist in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, which celebrates excellence in the art of portraiture. He soon thereafter joined TikTok and gained immediate success for sketching strangers on the New York City subway system and capturing their reactions. Now, with over 31M followers on TikTok alone, he is the most followed visual artist on social media and a leading influencer in the fine arts space and beyond, represented by United Talent Agency (UTA). In recent years, Rodriguez has continued to draw fellow passengers on the subway alongside commissioned portraits of high-profile figures from President Joe Biden to leading actors including Jared Leto. Rodriguez currently teaches art courses online, including a MasterClass on portraiture.

SOURCE Blue Bottle Coffee