The Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) has kicked off
its 2024 hackathon that is designed to identify innovations using decentralized
identity across a variety of use cases, including travel.
Developers entering the “Hospitality and Travel Challenge,”
sponsored by NetSys, have to demonstrate how decentralized identity technology combined
with traditional travel technology can create a more frictionless, personalized
and connected travel journey.
The challenge is being managed by the Hospitality and Travel
Special Interest Group (H&T SIG) within the DIF. Nick Price, formerly
CIO/CTO at Mandarin Hotel Group and now CEO of NetSys, helps to lead the
H&T SIG and is the sponsor of the travel challenge, which will award cash
prizes up to $2,500 for first, second and third place.
“Traveler as digital travel agent can be stressful. Too many
apps asking for the same information, and important information stuck in silos
not shareable between travel providers along the customer travel journey,”
Price said.
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“Decentralized identity technology offers real opportunity
to effectively address these problems. But it's early days in the
development of decentralized identity for travel, with much of the focus and
activity having so far been applied to high security ID verification for border
crossing and improved airline and airport experiences. While important, this is
not enough. At the DIF H&T SIG, we have purposely taken a broader
view of the technology opportunity in front of us and that is the purpose of
this hackathon travel challenge.”
Work to develop decentralized identity solutions to improve
the travel experience has accelerated in recent years. In July, the United
States Department of Homeland Security awarded contracts to six startups to
develop digital credentials for cross-border travel. In May, the European
Union enacted a Digital Identity Regulation requiring every member
state to offer at least one version of the EU Digital Identity Wallet by 2026.
Speaking
on a panel at Phocuswright Europe in June, Annet Steenbergen, advisor to
the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium, noted the significance of what is
being developed.
“This is a paradigm shift in how we deal online. It’s
providing us with the missing identity layer in the digital world. …And the
traveler is in charge. Usually you have to give a lot of data and then you get
something back. This time you’re in charge of the data you share. … The trust
factor has a huge potential because that is a very different way of connecting
with a business.”
And now the rapid development of artificial intelligence
capabilities, specifically AI agents, is creating a new impetus to develop
decentralized identity technology.
“There has been a lot of talk about the impact and
opportunity of AI agents within the travel sector, but how do consumer AI
agents and, for example, a hotel’s AI agent communicate at industry scale?”
said Alex Bainbridge, founder and CEO of digital experience platform Autoura, a PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2024, and a member of the DIF H&T SIG.
“Decentralized IDs provide that mechanism. I hope
hackathon entrants use this opportunity to investigate novel approaches
addressing AI agent to AI agent communication.”
Entries in the travel challenge of the hackathon will be judged
between November 7 - 17 with winners announced November 20.
Bainbridge and Price will explain more about the submission
requirements for the challenge during an online
event scheduled to take place Friday, October 4 at 11am ET.