Accurate and helpful personalisation has become the Holy Grail for customer-facing businesses, keen to provide tailored options for consumers that not only meet their needs but encourage brand loyalty and accurately predict what they are looking for.
Algorithms, data collection and cookies have all been leveraged to try and get inside the head of the would-be traveller to help them nail the perfect leisure or business trip and to capture more of their spend. And just last month, technology took that ambition a major step forward.
In late January, OpenAI unveiled its new Operator agent, introducing initially Pro users of ChatGPT in the US to an AI agent that can interact with travel platforms in much the same way as a human, selecting itineraries, travel options, flights and accommodation against prescribed preferences.
The launch seems likely to represent a new wave of AI personalisation for the travel industry that could help redefine travel management, tailored towards the individual and taking into account their personal preferences from previous travel as well as elements such as their ethical choices or preferred modes of transport.
As part of its launch, Operator was demonstrated logging into popular travel booking platforms to autonomously orchestrate the entire travel booking process, navigating the various interfaces, selecting flights, checking hotel availability, and completing the bookings with only human intervention where desired, all tailored to specific user preferences.
OpenAI described it as “an agent that can go to the web to perform tasks for you,” and added that it has been trained to interact with “the buttons, menus, and text fields that people use daily” on the web. It can also ask follow-up questions to further personalise the tasks it completes, while users can take control of the screen at any time.
AI agents for travel
The rise of the so-called AI agent represents a significant move beyond the basic chatbots and price optimisation algorithms of which many consumers have become increasingly accustomed, with sometimes positive and sometimes not so positive experiences.
“Operator is one of our first agents, which are AIs capable of doing work for you independently,” OpenAI wrote in a blog post. “You give it a task and it will execute it.”
“The AI revolution is here, and instead of fighting it, it’s about finding harmony with it,” WGSN head of marketing and events insight Cassandra Napoli adds.
“Interestingly, 82 per cent of consumers express a desire to learn more about AI, underpinning this increased demand for transparency and education around its development...that works with us, not against us, creating a balance that feels both seamless and meaningful,” she says.
The new wave of autonomous AI agents, such as Operator, have been developed to operate independently to manage complex tasks, learn from data, and adapt to evolving requirements. If the claims are to be believed, these AI agents will in the future handle the complexities of personalised itinerary creation, dynamically adjusting to real-time data and traveller preferences.
Operator directly competes with an earlier release from Anthropic, the Amazon-backed artificial intelligence start-up which was behind the Claude chatbot that was founded by ex-OpenAI research executives. In October, Anthropic introduced ‘computer use’, a capability that, like Operator, allows its AI agents to use computers like humans to complete complex tasks. Anthropic said it can interpret what is on a computer screen, select buttons, enter text, navigate websites and execute tasks through real-time internet browsing.
“At this stage, it is still experimental – at times cumbersome and error-prone,” the company said. “We’re releasing computer use early for feedback from developers, and expect the capability to improve rapidly over time.”
Technology as customer service
The idea of introducing different forms of artificial intelligence is not new. As far back as 2016 hotel group Hilton debuted Connie, a small robot concierge, while the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki, Japan is the world’s first hotel to be staffed solely by robots. Meanwhile, in October the German National Tourist Board introduced a new social media influencer called Emma who was entirely AI-generated.
“Artificial intelligence applications are an invaluable asset, providing supplementary technological support for our brand communication,” GNTB chief executive Petra Hedorfer says.
“By working with traditional influencers, we were able to generate 148 million impressions on their social media channels last year. The GNTB's AI strategy uses technological innovations which, however, cannot replace personal experiences and encounters in Germany as a travel destination, but rather optimise the customer journey of travellers in a service-oriented way.”
The GNTB says that it is supporting the trend for AI to analyse and market tourist products with its Open Data project and more than half a million machine-readable datasets on tourist attractions, tours and events, as well as infrastructure data are already available in the GNTB Knowledge Graph.
AI help during travel
The other opportunity is for AI agents to proactively anticipate and manage disruptions during a trip, enhancing traveller safety and support if the best laid plans go wrong. This an area where travel platform giants such as Expedia and Booking.com have already invested heavily, with the latter launching its AI-powered AI Trip Planner last year across searches, reviews and property Q&As.
“Our journey with AI for over a decade has always been about leveraging technology to make travel more intuitive and personalised,” says Booking.com VP of Product Marketplace Joe Futty. “With GenAI, we’re not just enhancing the trip planning process — we’re facilitating more tailored experiences that adapt and respond to travellers’ needs faster than ever before.”
He adds: “Looking ahead, we’re excited about our future plans, where GenAI will play a proactive role in managing trips, helping travellers navigate disruptions like flight cancellations with real-time solutions, making the entire travel experience smoother and more seamless."
All these initiatives come at a time when consumers, especially younger customers, seem to be becoming more comfortable with AI applications within their travel planning functions. The growth of practical applications such as Operator and real-time travel solutions during travel suggests that 2025 could be the year AI truly touches down in the industry.