Travel companies have been using AI for years, but the emergence of generative AI (which enables it to create text, images, audio and video) is open to a new range of possibilities.
Two years later Public launch chatgptvision is still forming. With incremental developments, the industry is using AI to provide personalized advice, marketing and customer service. So far, many applications have been working behind the scenes.
Here is the timeline of the biggest announcements and progress and its impact on travel:
February 2023: Microsoft-owned Bing restarts around Chatgpt
Microsoft’s Bing search engine releases chatbot Can simplify how people search for travel plans on search engines. The difference from Chatgpt is the comments from the source and suggestions for further queries.
March 2023: Google releases bard
Google announces this It will launch the bardits competitor is chatgpt. Travel tech journalist Justin Dawes wrote that it seems to work similarly to chatgpt, except that it responds to tips for multiple answers.
Dawes added that the technology has a big impact on the travel industry, with brands like Booking.com and Expedia exploring how to use it to drive the future of travel planning and booking.
April 2023: Expedia releases Chatgpt-powered AI chatbot on mobile app
Expedia released the first version of the travel plan chatbot on its mobile app, Become the first famous online travel agency in the West to do this. (Singapore-based Trip.com released the chatbot earlier in 2023.)
Dawes reports that Expedia users can use the tool (a separate chatbot with the virtual agents the app already has) to assist with travel planning by asking general questions about their destination or travel ideas.
Demonstration demonstrates how the tool automatically saves the hotel recommended by the chatbot. Users can go to the Travel tab in the app and click on the saved item to view the availability of the booking.
Dawes reports Google search Generative AI from Bard has been updatedwhich means that search prompts can be performed in more detail. Additionally, the top of the results page will contain a more complete infographic, including shorter answers generated by AI.
Google Maps has received an update that will give users a bird’s view, said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, for example, for those seeking scenic bikers with bike trails. The user will be able to check air quality, traffic and weather, and how it will change in the next few hours.
June 2023: Priceline releases new AI platform and “Penny” chatbot
The day after sister company booking.com Unveiled AI travel planners For our genius travel rewards to the U.S. members on their mobile app, Priceline announced that it is Launch series 40 new bookings and upgrade tools Development using Google Cloud’s Generative AI Application Builder. One of the tools is an AI chatbot called “Penny” which is spread throughout Priceline’s hotel network and can be used as a local guide, help desk contact and 24/7 concierge.
Dawes wrote that there are three major tech companies recently – Amazon Web Services, Meta and Microsoft – Made a large-scale product distribution related to the generation of AI.
Amazon Web Services launched Amazon Bedrock, a platform that allows travel companies to build AI tools and applications to access their own proprietary data, noting that DAWES needs to point out to make the tools useful. Meta has released a generative AI chatbot called Meta AI, which uses the company’s proprietary generative AI model to answer questions similar to Chatgpt, which Dawes wrote, could include questions about planning trips, booking flights, and more.
Microsoft said it is working with IT Company Accenture to work with Amadeus to drive a travel assistant. For example, a user can ask Microsoft 365 chat to find a flight that matches certain requirements, and the chatbot responds with flight options.
kayak A tool called Pricecheck is released, which says it can read flight fare information Take a screenshot and search for higher prices. Although the kayak issued a warning within PriceCheck urging users to check accuracy before booking, Dawes reported that Skift tests showed everything about the tool were correct: dates, times, airlines and airports. It found a lower price.
Google says this will Add several new tools designed to help travelers plan their trips and explore the destination. The tech giant has also added an AI-based experimental itinerary creation feature to its traditional search tools for users to choose from. Users can motivate searching for a specific destination itinerary, and in addition to suggestions on attractions and dining, they will also get flight and hotel choices.
May 2024: Chatgpt is getting a major update
Openai announced a set of updates written by Dawes that could cause Voice translation of robot in traveler’s pocket. The upgraded translation feature is part of the new GPT-4O model, which Openai says is much faster than previous versions and can interact with voice, photos, and videos better.
Openai Say in a blog post About users can now take photos of the menu and ask Chatgpt to translate its updates, provide cultural information about the dishes, and make suggestions on what to order.
May 2024: Google’s next AI travel plan
Google announces this Gemini Seniorpaid version Gemini The generated AI chatbot will be able to build travel itineraries with easy-to-understand language prompts. Sissie Hsiao, vice president of Google and general manager of Gemini Experiences, shows how chatbots can move towards their goal of becoming a “real AI assistant” with travel examples.
Hsiao said Gemini Advanced can use a variety of information sources to create personalized holidays for family planning weekend trips to Miami, where the user’s husband is looking for a place to eat fresh seafood.
June 2024: Apple’s Siri gets better
Apple announces its digital assistant Siri at its global developer conference It will help users plan their trip soon. Although Dawes wrote that Siri could not perform complex tasks at the time, such as booking flights, Siri would be able to get information from Apple-owned apps.
For example, a user can ask for details of an upcoming flight booking and Siri will cross-reference flight information from email or text with real-time flight tracking information to provide the latest updates to arrive. Siri can also find plans to make lunch reservations through text and then inform users how long it will take to travel from the airport to the restaurant.
September 2024: New iPhone 16 camera buttons integrate with AI
Apple announced this The latest iPhone will take an easy way to ask how to generate AI visuals about real lifewhich will provide travelers with easier ways to browse new cities. Dawes noticed that both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro activated tools for asking AI about visual effects through the camera. For example, when pointing to a restaurant, the iPhone will have windows with hours, ratings and options to view the menu and make a reservation in a counterbalanced manner.
October 2024: Chatgpt Premium Voice: The Future of Travel Booking or the Death of OTA?
Thomas Reiner, partner at Altimeter Capital, wrote Chatgpt’s advanced voice mode can represent the future of travel booking. He provided an example of asking Chatgpt to search for hotels that meet certain criteria, and he received tailored answers that he thought would take longer to manually combine on booking or Expedia.
Renner wrote whether online travel agencies will adapt or be outdated in the AI era, but added that consumers will benefit from the more personalized, efficient and even cheaper travel plans offered by AI.
October 2024: Anthropomorphic new AI features resemble human travel agencies
Humangenerated AI startups and competitors of Openai, Revealed earlier versions of functions designed to perform computer tasks – Including making travel plans – just like humans. Dawes reports that the new technology demonstrates an early version of how AI-powered travel agencies work.
A more advanced version of Human Technology eliminates the challenges of manual navigation options, comparing prices and bookings. Improvements in the technology may prompt users to bypass online travel agencies in order to turn to AI to find better deals.
October 2024: Chatgpt becomes a travel search engine
Executive Editor Dennis Schaal wrote Become a browser-based search engine with real-time links, maps, weather, sports, stocks and news It has many implications for travel. He noted that he simply asked chatgpt.com to plan a trip on the California Pacific Coast Highway, a five-day trip from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, drew information from various sources and Link.
November 2024: Airbnb says AI chatbots are used for travel plans rather than coming
Airbnb Chief Business Officer Dave Stephenson said the company’s efforts to include AI into its applications Chatbots will not be included for travel planning Although it has developed one for users in partnership with OpenAI, it will be until soon.
“I think the tools in the interface now use chat as a way to plan travel – we just think that’s not enough and that it actually doesn’t meet our design standards,” Stephenson said at a Phocuswright conference.
January 2025: Chatgpt can use books and activities
Openai announced it is being released Digital assistants who can complete online searches and purchase travel, events, restaurants, and more. Openai said it has worked with many companies to ensure that the tool, called carriers, can access data from the website, including Travel Brands Booking.com, TripAdvisor and Priceline.
January 2025: Appearance in the Deep
DeepSeek,,,,, A new generation AI model based on Chinacan disrupt Silicon Valley and the tourism industry. The startup’s rapid rise – says it’s a fraction of the cost compared to rivals OpenAI and Google’s Gemini, causing AI stocks to fall. Travel brands that work hard to adopt AI could be the winner if DeepSeek helps reduce the cost of technology.
February 2025: TripAdvisor enhances from confusing partnerships
TripAdvisor Trials began in January to provide impetus for some travel-related answers Amid the confusion of AI search engines, the partnership focuses on sharing TripAdvisor data, which largely fails to access third-party search engines, including information about their user habits. Matt Goldberg, CEO of TripAdvisor and Mike Noonan, CFO, both said next month Partnership with confusion – TripAdvisor’s first use of AI search engine – Always a boon for business.
