Artificial intelligence has enjoyed a steady buzz of attention over the last few years and whether the hype has matched reality has been up for discussion.
But experts made clear in a panel discussion focused on emerging technologies at The Phocuswright Conference in November that the flow of conversation around generative AI and its use in the travel industry is far from slowing down.
Ankit Khanna, chief product officer for India-based online travel agency MakeMyTrip, stressed the importance of AI as the company moves forward.
“I think this is where we feel that we can create a difference using AI,” he said, adding the technology can be helpful to bring travelers in earlier and to help them make pivotal decisions while planning their trips. “I think we have laid that foundation.”
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Khanna said MakeMyTrip is hoping to see dramatic change based on AI in the next two to three years. He believes it can help MakeMyTrip foster a more comprehensive journey beginning with discovery.
Marilyn Markham, vice president of AI and automation strategy at American Express Global Business Travel, said artificial intelligence will be a priority for the company in 2025.
“It's going to be internal adoption of generative AI in many different teams, and a focus on the transformation of our customer experience,” she said.
And while the excitement around AI remains high, there’s a lot of refining that is still happening around how best to implement AI, too.
Geoffrey Renaldo, vice president of web and mobile products for Marriott International, said there have been a lot of basics to work through.
“It was a lot of enthusiasm for this right out of the gate, and everybody wanted to jump in, which is great, but you [have to] make sure … the fundamentals are … that data security is covered in privacy, all of the foundational things … in addition to that my mind as a product guy goes to … it's challenge, but … at the end of the day, we've got to make sure that what we do is really solving a customer need and a customer problem, right?”
Watch the full discussion, moderated by Phocuswright senior technology and corporate market analyst Norm Rose, below.
Executive Panel: From Vision to Reality - Technologists' Take