I doubt human-like robots with “artificial intelligence” will take over travel any time soon.
Quote from Rob Greyber, president at Egencia, in an article on PhocusWire this week:
PhocusWire Forecast 2018: Rise of the machines (and humans)
Artificial intelligence ranks among the top tech buzzwords – and investment areas, valued at $500 billion – from this past year, with seemingly endless applications in travel designed to replace human tasks and personalize customer experience.
Truth is, the travel industry has a long way to go – especially compared to other industries.
And as Greyber notes, there’s often a misunderstanding about what the concept of "artificial" compared to "human" intelligence means in this arena.
One thing is certain: there won’t be AI-powered "human-like robots" making sweeping changes in the near term. Rather, the technology’s application through machine learning – which has already dramatically changed the travel landscape – will continue to simplify and improve the travel experience.
We’re just at the beginning of what’s possible as machines analyze larger and larger chunks of data, and the businesses investing their AI dollars in machine learning stand to benefit the most.
While the broader and even more advanced applications of AI are inevitable, for now it remains unlikely "Hollywood’s sentient robots are marching to GBTA."