Accompanying the rise of AI tools such as Chat-GPT, a number of travel companies have introduced AI powered assistants and chatbots to help travellers.
Kayak, a popular flight and hotel booking engine, is one such company to have begun using such a tool. Kayak’s version directly uses a Chat-GPT plug-in, which allows users to ask relevant questions about where they can fly to and when the cheapest flight is for an upcoming trip. Owned by the same parent company, OpenTable will also have the feature for planning restaurant bookings. The tool will be gradually rolled out to people using Chat-GPT, with those subscribed to the ‘Plus’ version receiving it first.
OpenAI, the company behind Chat-GPT, has also rolled out similar plug-ins for Expedia and Klarna, with the latter recommending customised products and allowing users to search for more specific items. Expedia’s plugin will be available via its app, and utilises their existing AI-powered features such as price tracking and hotel comparison to make booking trips more streamlined. However, the feature is not currently available for Android and the only language is English.
Another company which has been one of the first to jump on the AI travel trend is Matador Network, one of the world’s most popular travel and news sites. The company has announced its new virtual assistant, GuideGeek, which uses AI to act like a personal assistant for travel. Users can ask it everything from trip planning queries to recommendations for local experiences or the weather at varying times of year. Like Chat-GPT, it can also build simple but accurate itineraries, or offer suggestions for specific interests, such as family-friendly areas or less busy sights.
Matador’s tool is currently only available via WhatsApp, but will eventually be available via Instagram, Facebook and SMS. AI is quickly gaining traction as Chat-GPT becomes one of the most popular sites around the world. The tool is able to complete a huge array of functions from building websites to creating poems, solving complex calculations and creating travel plans based on browsing history, budget and occasion. Since AI for these purposes is in its relative infancy, it draws information from many sources around the internet. This means users should be aware that information provided by AI powered tools is not necessarily accurate and price, opening times and availability should all be double checked when using it to plan travel.
