MACHINE REVOLUTION

Artificial intelligence is transforming the travel industry, with huge strides in data analysis and generative Al set to create seamless, personalised travel for passengers

-  TAMSIN COCKS

It's 2034. You're getting ready to head to the airport when Genie - your personal AI travel assistant - pings.

Genie has a travel update: your flight from Perth to Hong Kong has been cancelled due to a typhoon in the latter. Before you can even start processing the inconvenience, Genie pings again. It has checked your diary and offers the best alternatives: either catch a layover via Kuala Lumpur leaving in six hours, or delay your flight until the next day.

You choose option one. Genie confirms and advises that your taxi transfer has been rescheduled and a refund processed.

(Genie has also reserved a massage for you in the lounge during your layover and pre-ordered your favourite welcome drink). It also drafts an email to your first client, advising of the delay and providing suitable alternative timings within your calendar. You hit send. A major travel disruption sorted in seconds.

Now, let's rewind to 2024. This advanced level of seamless travel management may still seem like a sci-fi dream, but the age of artificial intelligence has officially arrived and is set to transform travel in the next decade.

Expect to see huge developments and customer experience improvements, with personalised recommendations, paperless airports and automated expense systems on the way.

CHATBOTS AND TRAVEL PLANNERS

There are different functions for AI technologies. Generative AI refers to the group of programmes such as Chat GPT that generate high-quality text, images and other content.

The applications of this technology are far-reaching, primed to improve customer chatbot services by a quantum leap as well as star as your pocket-sized travel consultant.