Skift Take
Artificial Intelligence's impact on travel planning is poised to define itself in 2023 as generative AI technology becomes more accessible and even more intelligent.
The potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to produce personalized travel recommendations and itineraries, as well as on-point content for travel companies, is setting the travel sector abuzz.
New travel products that would usually take weeks to plan and execute are now created in mere seconds with tools like ChatGPT. The neural-network technology owned by San Francisco-based AI research lab Open AI has been a primary catalyst for the intense focus on AI at the close of 2022.
Increased productivity and scale far beyond how humans can work on those goals are at the center of the debate and what it means for travel agents and tour operators looking to future-proof their business model.
From improved chatbots to digital assistants that act as concierge & tour guides for humans when in a location, the sector could certainly be poised for creative reinvention.
First-Mover Advantage"By the end of the year, you won't be able to tell the difference between human production and AI production," said travel industry consultant Peter Syme.
"Every single tourism business, from a hotel to a tour operator to the most prominent companies, has access to the same power from a content production point of view. Therefore, tour operators should adopt quickly and not lag to ensure the biggest advantage."
But there remains room for improvem