An interesting read from Skift (as always) on the growth of AI in travel, which can be found here:
https://tinyurl.com/3vh856en
Three key takeaways for me, there are several more good points in the article.
1. History always repeats. There is huge investment in AI but a lack of quantifiable returns for now - I liked the quote that "AI is everywhere - except the p&l." I remember reading a Forbes
article, just before the dot com crash, about an online dog food delivery service that had been backed by millions of dollars of venture capital, and thinking this is (barking) mad. Are we
heading for a 25 year anniversary crash before the real players begin to emerge? And remember: nobody is too big to fail.
2. Humanity still counts. Of course it does, in this most human of industries. I was surprised to read the CEO of Booking Holdings lament the passing of the human travel agent. But they still
exist and can solve those complex travel questions and itineraries, in a way AI cannot - at the moment. Agentic AI may be able to do that in the future, but will it be able to replace that human
touch?
3. SEO so so. Traditional online searches are down 15% , according to Kelly Ungerman from McKinsey. How AI is going to shape this growing trend and how companies are going to respond is still
unclear but there is a clear message: change is happening and we had better be prepared.
AI is here to stay but humanity will always win in the travel and hospitality business.
What do you think?
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