Your Travel Plans Should Not Be Entrusted To An AI Chatbot Just Yet

Travel planning will alter, according to ChatGPT and Bing bot creators, but here's what they can and can't do.

‍

Should you let a robot organize your upcoming vacation?

‍

Several companies are devoting resources to creating artificial intelligence technology as a result of the excitement surrounding OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot and Microsoft's new, AI-enhanced version of its Bing search engine.

‍

For years, airlines and online travel firms have used AI technology to support customer service requirements. They are currently devoting additional efforts to investigating the viability of using AI technology for travel arrangement and booking.

‍

Customers who want to test out AI for travel planning may utilize ChatGPT and Bing as they scale up, though. The Wall Street Journal has been asking both of them travel-related questions recently in an effort to gauge how beneficial they are at the moment.

‍

The outcomes were variable.

‍

While AI is prepared to conduct part of the research involved in holiday planning, it is still human error-prone. However, it isn't yet prepared to fully automate the procedure.

‍

Can AI assist me in organizing my ideal vacation?

‍

When the Journal asked ChatGPT and the new Bing how to discover affordable holiday spots in Europe, both platforms offered suggestions as general as locating private boat tour providers in Lisbon and as particular as finding them. The chatbot on Bing can make a table that compares hotels.

‍

Nevertheless, when requested to offer information about theme-park facilities accessible to visitors staying at hotels close to Walt Disney World, both platforms at first gave incorrect answers.

‍

Even while several other hotels also provide this perk, ChatGPT claimed that only visitors staying at Disney-owned hotels were eligible to take advantage of extended time at the theme parks in the mornings. Bing noted a benefit at one of the hotels: access to the now-defunct FastPass+ program.

‍

According to an OpenAI representative, the public version of ChatGPT that many people are using has limited understanding of the world until 2021 since it doesn't look up the answers online. The chatbot's underlying model is also perceptive to how inquiries are framed and frequently predicts the response a user seeks rather than posing clarifying queries, according to her. Users have the option to offer comments when they come across inaccurate information.

‍

With regard to the new Bing, which is currently in preview and, like ChatGPT, necessitates registration before usage, the precision and depth of the replies are mostly dependent upon data that is available online.

‍

According to Divya Kumar, Microsoft's head of search and AI marketing, "Bing is still a search engine at its core and functions the same way a search engine does. The Bing chatbot's response will be inaccurate if the information it gathers from the web is inaccurate.

‍

As a user, I have a duty to check the material that is transmitted, Ms. Kumar continues.

‍

The results of a conversation cannot be saved or shared by Bing; instead, users must copy and paste the results elsewhere. Also, there is a cap on how often users may react in Bing conversations.

‍

Travel industry professionals do advise beginning with AI platforms.

‍

Eddie Ibaez, a former Priceline chief scientist and the creator of the travel booking business LIFE Rewards, believes that AI may be used to provide general solutions, like the best spots for a beach vacation.

‍

Next time, start your search there rather than on Google and see whether you enjoy it, advises Mr. Ibaez.

‍

Can AI solve problems in customer service?

‍

Cherie Luo, a Stanford University M.B.A. candidate and content producer, and some of her friends were stranded at a Hawaiian airport in December during a six-hour flight delay. They made the decision to turn to ChatGPT for assistance.

‍

Ms. Luo describes the situation as "very aggravating" and adds that she recorded some films for social media usage.

‍

The following day, according to Ms. Luo, she made the decision to contact Hawaiian Airlines and used ChatGPT to do so. She wanted the platform to create an email that was "nice but strong and perhaps passive-aggressive," according to her description.

‍

ChatGPT created a template for her right away. Although while the AI-drafted email needed some tweaking, according to her, it eliminated a lot of the emotional work. Hawaiian Airlines, according to Ms. Luo, did reply to the email she created using ChatGPT, but no compensation was provided. She intends to make use of the platform for upcoming client service difficulties.

‍

In an email, Hawaiian Airlines explained that "unstable weather" was to blame for Ms. Luo's delay.

‍

Do travel agencies employ ChatGPT?

‍

Expedia Group is one of the travel companies that has begun experimenting with ChatGPT technology to explore how it might benefit their operations.

‍

"We are researching it, learning from it, and looking for ways to work with it," says Peter Kern, the company's chief executive officer.

‍

According to Chief Executive Ariel Cohen, Navan, the corporate travel software provider formerly known as TripActions, has integrated ChatGPT into its web platform.

‍

The company previously has a chatbot, and is now adding OpenAI technology to it. Ava, Navan's automated virtual assistant, may offer tailored support.

‍

By the end of the year, according to Mr. Cohen, 60% of customer support inquiries will be handled exclusively by chatbots without any assistance from humans.

‍

How are other types of AI being used by the tourism industry?

‍

You could have communicated with an AI chatbot if you've used the chat option on a website or app to contact an airline, hotel, or online travel agency.

‍

According to Air France CEO Anne Rigail, a chatbot will first respond to your message on Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

‍

The AI is really enabling our staff to respond to customers more faster, according to Ms. Rigail. The technology forwards consumer issues to a human agent when they are too complicated for the chatbot to handle.

‍

According to Mr. Kern, Expedia's Virtual Agent feature, which serves as its customer-service site, is an AI platform. The business is testing the idea of selling the AI platform to other travel agencies so they may utilize it for their operations.