AI in Travel

Despite the rapid shifts already caused by mobile, even bigger changes are on the horizon as voice search, artificial intelligence, and conversational messaging are transforming how travelers interact with travel brands. While there is a lot of excitement around the promise of each of these technologies, we now face the challenge of implementing them.

Google is using its Google Flights capability to power its new Artificial Intelligence-filled Assistant to respond intelligently to queries about travel. The service's inability to respond to queries about your existing travel itineraries, however, is a huge missed opportunity for now.

There has been serious talk about artificial intelligence in travel for the past couple of years. While Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wasn't talking about implementing artificial intelligence for customer service in the next quarter or two, be assured that Expedia and others are working on it hard.

Moral of the story about the early years of online travel? Not to over-simplify, but be prepared to take risks, feel free to contradict conventional wisdom, and assemble the best damn team that you can.

Although Visit Orlando's new AI-powered travel app still has kinks, it shows the power of machine learning to provide more contextual and customized information to travelers — most of the time.