Can ChatGPT plan a holiday? Find out all about travelling with A.I.
The emergence of new AI software has shaken up all industries, including the travel industry. However, it's not all that simple, and AI (Artificial intelligence) has a long way to go before it becomes an indispensable tool for planning a trip or holiday. Let's find out what we can expect now.
Perhaps one day in the near AI future, a holiday might start with a message like this on your smartphone: "I want to take a four-day trip to Los Angeles in July. When will the best hotel and airfare prices be available with bonus points? I also want to visit a theme park and a historical museum. At seven in the evening, I need to order dinner at a restaurant near the hotel with a great selection of wines and vegan dishes." And in a moment, the phone provides a well-thought-out best route.
However, now travellers using this powerful tool - ChatGPT, which already writes term papers and offers cocktail recipes - need to lower their expectations slightly.
Oded Battat, general manager of Travelland, a travel agency in Bridgeport, Connecticut, asked the chatbot about excursions to Tuscany that he could offer to clients to see if it would be useful for his work. The result was a list of 14 activities, including museum visits and a stop for ice cream in Piazza San Gimignano. "I knew about all of these locations and activities," said Mr Battat, "but this saved me the hassle of finding and organising the information, and I could send the report to clients straight away.
ChatGPT, which was used by Travelland's general manager, was introduced to the general public in November, impacting various industries and travel in particular. Unlike AI, this tool is generative, which is more convenient for users. Thus, it can summarise and analyse the content of a huge amount of information, such as books or documentation available on the Internet, and then use the data to create original content.
Limitations and applications
The travel industry is about to change irrevocably. Travellers already have the opportunity to "talk" to the system, share information such as their destination, necessary stops and interests, etc., and in return receive a detailed, but not "dry" itinerary, decorated with apt descriptions.
For example, by asking about a two-day trip to British Columbia, the user received ideas for a snowshoe trip to get to know the local fauna and flora, or a dog sledding tour, which is a great option for winter travel. With additional parameters, ChatGPT takes them into account and offers something different, more personalised.
However, in addition to the wide range of possibilities, the system also has some limitations.
- The chat database does not have access to the most up-to-date data, especially since the travel industry can change at any moment, such as flight cancellations due to bad weather, etc. But new versions are being developed all the time, so this may not be a problem in the future.
- The software may not always be able to tell the difference between false and reliable information on the Internet, so some results may not be true. The developer also warns that the software in some cases creates "biased content".
Anyone can use the chat service. For example, travel agencies can use AI to create marketing information that contains descriptions and links to attractions worth visiting. It is also a useful tool for writing social media posts or emails to customers. While airlines, hotels, and various services can use ChatGPT to answer a wide range of questions.
For example, a travel consultant was asked to create a letter of termination with a client that was supposed to be friendly but confident. However, he had to add details and clarifications several times to get the desired result, which turned out to be satisfactory.
New and important step forward
Chad Burt, co-founder of OutsideAgents, a company in Jacksonville, Florida, with eight thousand employees, said that there is concern in the travel industry about the development and improvement of AI. This may lead to the redundancy of consultants in this area. Nevertheless, according to him, "the inevitability of the disappearance of this profession was predicted even earlier, so it is worth using all the opportunities of new technologies". Bert recently held a seminar for consultants with tips and tricks on how to use the software. In particular, he used chat to create more than a hundred routes, which helped to save a lot of time. However, it should be borne in mind that it is still necessary to check the facts and improve the result. For example, the system will not be able to understand exactly what the traveller wants, as only a human can do it. The AI result will not exceed 80%, but this is not an "excellent" grade.
One of the world's largest travel companies, Expedia, is also using AI to personalise recommendations and program its own online bot.
Peter Kern, CEO of Expedia, sees this technology as a way to improve the customer experience and provide more ways for customers to interact, such as voice input. ChatGPT is also used to track the following data:
- current ticket prices and availability;
- customer purchase history
- ;the possibility of booking hotels and cars.
Eileen Kaliskan, a professor of computer science at the University of Washington who studies the impact of society on AI and AI training, predicts that travel companies will be able to create generative AI for specific tasks by adding their own data, as Amazon or Google already do. She claims that building such a tool will require large investments and human resources. For example, a travel insurance company could create a system that would help to choose the best policy or file a claim.
According to the professor, Generative A.I. can improve foreign language translations, helping tourists communicate with locals. Combined with virtual reality technology, travel agencies could create a preliminary "visit" to a chosen destination for clients without leaving home.
In fear of an "AI dump"
Jeff Lowe, CEO of Stash Hotels Rewards, a loyalty points company that awards loyalty points for hotel bookings, is somewhat concerned about the impact of new artificial intelligence on the hospitality industry. For example, one of the opportunities announced by the developers was the automation of routine tasks so that employees could pay more attention to guests. "However, the reality is different," says Mr Lowe. For example, a number of jobs, including front desk staff, have already been cut when the automated process became popular. "But human interaction is an integral part of the journey," said the Stash Hotels Rewards director.
In addition, Mr Lowe is concerned about the possibility of unethical companies "faking" reviews of services provided through ChatGPT, but it is often relied upon by travellers when choosing an accommodation option. He argues that this makes it easier for "review farms" to create fake content and even people's profiles. Travel companies have a system in place to distinguish between false ratings, "but if a professor can't tell whether a student or a bot wrote a review, how can a company?" Lowe added.
Other possible drawbacks exist as well, as many travel companies are using the capabilities of generative artificial intelligence. Since Google likes fresh data when ranking search results, some may use chatbots or similar software to generate a large number of social media and blog posts. "The Internet could turn into an AI dump," Burt said.
But despite all the potential problems, artificial intelligence has the potential to become a great traveller's companion. According to Chekitan Dev, a professor at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, if ChatGPT or similar systems have access to the most up-to-date information, it will influence the creation of a route or travel plan. For example, if a flight is delayed, the system will postpone a car rental or send a restaurant information about rebooking for a later time.
So, will the future give us autonomous vehicles that "know" to pick you up at the airport after the delayed flight arrives, and then take you on a sightseeing tour of the place, ending up at the restaurant that serves the best pad thai? Could virtual reality and AI engineers come together to create an experience that feels just like a real-life holiday and we never leave the house again? "It's an uncharted path," says Dr Dev.
