OpenAI wants to inspire European cities to use GenAI for tourism

Travel inspiration and planning have consistently been cited as top use cases for generative artificial intelligence since the technology entered the spotlight little more than year ago.

Now OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, wants to help destinations understand how to use generative AI to enhance the visitor experience by offering personalized recommendations that move beyond generic “things to do” lists.

The company is partnering with the city of Dublin, Ireland, which was recently named European Capital of Smart Tourism for 2024.

The collaboration is starting with two initiatives. First, Open AI and the city of Dublin, in partnership with Dublin-based data consultancy Data & Design, will create the “Dublin Itinerary Planner” proof of concept built on GPT-4. 

According to a news release, the tool “will showcase how bespoke travel recommendations can make Dublin's rich cultural heritage and vibrant city life more accessible to visitors. This prototype has been designed to show the potential of generative AI to support unique, bespoke experiences for visitors instead of generic to-do lists.”

Second, the partners will host a workshop in September for leaders of tourism destinations across the European Union on how to use AI for things such as city promotion, destination branding, tourism engagement and itinerary planning.

“OpenAI is excited to collaborate with the city of Dublin to support the future of tourism in Europe,” said Anna Makanju, OpenAI's vice president of global affairs.

“Our advanced AI technologies, including GPT-4, have the potential to revolutionize how people explore and experience destinations. We look forward to working together to create innovative solutions that will benefit visitors and cities alike.”

OpenAI and the city of Dublin said they are committed to “leading the way in smart tourism innovation.”

And said Rudi O’ Reilly Meehan, founder of Data & Design, “There is little doubt of the transformative power of OpenAI’s technologies such as GPT-4. This collaboration is about creating tools that harness this power to benefit visitors to Dublin – in this case, by providing tailor-made itineraries created using generative AI. I am delighted to be working with Dublin City Council and OpenAI in building this prototype, and the approach we are taking has significant scope for scaling across other cities and experiences.”