Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Travel

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the rage these days. Everyone is talking about how it will change the world. It is making waves in design, art, graphics, and contracting.

But will it change the way we travel?

I don’t actually think it will be that bad. At least not in the short term.

Here’s why:

The internet is littered with failed companies that have tried to reinvent travel planning. They have failed because people actually Want to plan their trips, as it gives them ownership of their trip. People Pleases search for restaurants, find hotels, read blogs and guides, and decide what to do.

This adds a sense of discovery to the business. Planning a trip gives people an emotional connection to their experience. Companies that have tried to remove this have either failed or turned to corporate travel booking.

That’s why I don’t think people will be saying “Hey Google! Give me an itinerary for Hong Kong!” anytime soon.

First of all, AI isn’t that great yet. It still scrapes (steals) content from blogs like this one, or from outdated posts and old websites. I’ve played with a lot of AI sites, asking them to plan a certain trip, and the results are full of closed restaurants, poorly reviewed accommodations, and other outdated information. It’s going to be a long, long time before AI can come up with a good itinerary.

Second, travel is a human and emotional experience. AI can’t tell you that. Why you should go to your destination. It can’t give you a sense of place or capture the magic of being there in a way that inspires you. It can give you the What but not the WhyIt’s one thing to have AI create a resume for you or tell you how to do a push-up; it’s another to inspire you.

What’s more likely in the short term is that people will use AI to book their hotels or flights. It won’t take long for these sites to figure out what kind of hotels or flights you like. You can probably even give them parameters (“Never book a flight before 7 a.m.” or “I prefer Delta”) and show them your past booking activity to teach them what you like.

I imagine you’ll soon be able to say, “Hey Google! Remember that hotel (or walking tour company, etc.) I booked in Vienna two years ago that I loved? Find me something similar in Paris for X dates and book it.”

But I think we’re a long way from AI bots that can plan a trip as well as a human. They just can’t provide information as well as someone with field experience. While you can turn to them for inspiration, given that these AI bots will still generate bad information and you should probably double-check their work anyway, I would just avoid using them all together. Stick to guides, travel blogs, and content creators. At least for now.