TUI brings ChatGPT to app for UK customers

 Thursday, August 17, 2023 

TUI brings ChatGPT to its app for United Kingdom customers and tests the potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

What originally started as an experiment by TUI software developers and the app product teams has now gone live as a pilot on the TUI app in the United Kingdom.

The ChatGPT provides TUI customers with answers about holiday destinations and personalized recommendations for excursions, activities and tickets for sights. Based on how detailed customers describe the type of experience they want – e.g. culinary discovery tours, adventure excursions or museum visits – the app provides a refined and relevant selection list with descriptions, images and links via ChatGPT. The experiences can then be booked directly via the mobile app on tuiexperiences.com.

“Technology such as generative artificial intelligence has a major impact on our lives. As TUI, we face this challenge with great openness. ChatGPT shows how technology can simplify processes and services for customers or make information more easily available. Our goal is to be leaders in the use of new technologies. This is how we actively shape the future of tourism,” says Sebastian Ebel, CEO of the TUI Group.

The launch of ChatGPT in the customer app is part of a TUI initiative to promote the use of AI in various areas of the company. To this end, TUI is working with the strategic cloud partner AWS and other partners to build up AI competence in all areas of the company – including outside of the technology teams. An internal TUI AI Lab (AI – Artificial Intelligence) was set up, an open platform for all employees. It offers support for tests and pilots, and organizes training courses to provide a company-wide basic understanding of the challenges and potential of artificial intelligence for TUI and the travel industry.

“Generative AI is changing the way customers search for products at TUI and interact with us as a company. We are constantly testing new technologies that bring benefits for our customers and employees, building on our experience with machine learning and artificial intelligence , which we have already integrated into our technology platform today. The pilot project with ChatGPT provides us with important insights to continuously develop the functionality further”, says Pieter Jordaan, Member of the Group Executive Committee & Chief Information Officer of the TUI Group.

Various pilot projects for the use of generative AI tools are currently running. For example, the technology is used at TUI to improve communication with customers after their holiday, to make knowledge databases easier and faster to search to support call center teams or to translate content into different languages. In addition, AI applications are in use to support technology teams in creating and testing code.

When using ChatGPT in the TUI app, customer data is never passed on. In addition, measures have been taken to restrict inappropriate responses. Since the functionality is currently a pilot project, feedback is continuously collected to ensure the high TUI standards.

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