Why the travel industry needs human-centric products
At last November’s Bletchley Summit, nation states, Elon Musk, HRH King Charles III et al warned apocalyptically about the dangers of certain types of artificial intelligence (AI). Some in the travel industry may share their fears over, say, losing jobs to bots. How worried should we be?
AI has made great strides in transforming how we travel. But it has its limitations, as Tech Radar & USA Today have amusingly illustrated.
Key applications for travel include now-familiar chatbots. Instant responses to customers can be invaluable in chronic staff shortages. A handful of hotels and airports have gone a step further, ‘employing’ robots to deliver room service etc.
AI algorithms can analyse customer data, history and preferences to create personalised itineraries, and AI-driven facial recognition enhances security and streamlining at many airports today. The industry is now grasping the potential of learning algorithms to create dynamic pricing and predictive data analytics to be more competitive.
However, even the most sophisticated AI lacks empathy and the human touch many customers still prefer (see ‘chatbot rage’). And while AI can crunch vast amounts of data – and even make decisions – it’s pretty poor on creative or innovative thinking and intuition (ask Bing!). In complex travel scenarios, local idiom, culture or humour, for example, AI struggles to join the dots.
Other serious issues make human-beings either desirable or essential. One is the mind-boggling amount of customer data AI systems increasingly collect. To ensure security/privacy and trust currently requires human oversight. Regular maintenance and monitoring updates of systems by humans are also vital.
AI can and is enhancing travel, from customer service to operational efficiency. However, for now and some time to come, the quality of most AI travel tech is determined by how effectively it is paired with humans.
Journey Mentor uses AI and other advanced technologies in a range of human-centric products for travel providers.
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