#Tourism #ArtificialIntelligence #ChangeOnSpeed #TheFutureIsNow !
Buzzwords like these, welcoming us to our second “AI in Tourism” update, make my head spin. The phenomenon is not new; I (and many others) already felt the same way at the first AI in Tourism conference day in April 2024. Why do I emphasise both month and year so precisely? Because it really is a “change on speed”, as far as our life with AI technology is concerned, and this life changes every month, almost every week.
I’m trying to keep up as best I can – here are my learnings from a really interesting day concerning AI technologies with regards to the tourism industry.
Günter Exel and Alex Mirschel, our virtual conference speakers, confirm that “every day brings news in AI”. Since the launch of ChatGPT on 30 November 2022, the so-called “iPhone moment” of AI, artificial intelligence served as the engine of digital change.
While 2023 was still dominated by the chatbot race, by 2024 AI had already revolutionised all areas of everyday working life – “OpenAI as a pacemaker” and, above all, the “rapid development of AI video generators”, the two agree.
AI is no longer just dialogue with chatbots, they say. AI and its generative language models are simply changing everything, especially the entire content creator industry. In the AI image editing programme Midjourney, for example, it is now also possible to edit real photos (in the beta version); so-called mood boards serve as a style reference. The big step forward is that you have to prompt less and less with applications like these, because the AI simply learns incredibly quickly. Spooky? Günter Exel and Alex Mirschel in their outlook: If it’s practical and saves people time, it WILL catch on!
Thanks to ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode, increasingly natural dialogues with an emotional touch are possible – with virtually no time delays. Interaction with AI will therefore (become) more and more normal and real.
But AI is also changing the way we search for information. Pure Google lists based on keywords may soon be obsolete if you look at the appealing, multi-layered output that AI provides for web searches.
Strategic implications & learnings for dealing with artificial intelligence.
In the second presentation, Florian Bauhuber and Alex Mirschel report that “the shift towards fully digital organisations” is already becoming apparent.
In the so-called roadmap to machine superintelligence, we are moving from chatbots and dialogue systems to so-called reasoners and agents that make decisions and take action independently. In the near future, AI models will be able to perform strategic management, develop new products and invent innovative solutions. Wow!
Florian Bauhuber: “AI … will come anyway. The question is, what role will we play? Because at the end of the day, the machines should serve us, not the other way round.” Consequently, there will have to be a change in roles, a redistribution of resources and AI expertise teams in DMOs, which will call into question many things that were previously taken for granted. The Job Futuromat website, for example, explores the interesting question: To which extent can my job be automated?
A study by the US company IBM from 2024 entitled “Augmented work for an automated, AI-driven world” also states: AI will not replace people, but people who use AI will replace people who do not.
One of the most important questions in day-to-day business will therefore be: What can I offer my partners and customers that AI CANNOT do? This includes value-based work such as empathy, understanding, the ‘human touch’ … but many of the processes in the background WILL continue to change.
Florian Bauhuber and Alex Mirschel take us back to the very beginning when they emphasise: “AI is not an end in itself, because there is no AI without a strategy! Questions like, ‘Where do I want to go? What are my values / my vision?’ are very important at this point.”
The Golden Circle in AI implementation that they present to us emphasises first and foremost the why, the how and the what:
- Why do we want to use AI? Why do we do what we do?
- How do we want to use AI? How do we achieve our goals?
- What are we doing in the field of AI? What results do we expect from it?
AI in Tourism: Results from the AI Think Tank.
The Think Thank, explains Catharina Fischer, is “a think tank related to AI developments, initiated by our network of consultants with the aim of establishing a central platform that not only engages in discourse but also takes action.”
The central questions are: How can AI help to solve current challenges? What role can AI play in solving these challenges? AI is “more than just a new technology”, says Catharina Fischer. “It is able to analyse data analytically and creatively, suggest approaches and optimise existing processes.”
Susanne Bleibel from Tourismus Marketing GmbH Baden Württemberg goes on to speak about AI and destination marketing. She describes the complex challenge of bringing together technological innovation, legal frameworks and ethical considerations: “The various disciplines must and will be linked even more closely. The data from us as a destination as well as that of our customers and clients is the basis for all applications in the field of AI. We see our main tasks as using AI to plan strategies, optimise content on our websites and automate customer dialogue.”
Jürgen Amann, Managing Director of KölnTourismus GmbH, continues to speak about AI and destination management. He identifies many interesting questions: “How will destinations be organised in the future? How do we want to work in the future? How can creativity be encouraged?”
AI heralds the age of even stronger, cross-industry networking and will take over many routine tasks. He counts process optimisation, data analysis and extremely welcome support in decision-making among the main tasks of AI. As an example: KölnGPT! “When creating content, it really takes away the fear of the blank page, a first draft is quickly there”, says Jürgen Amann in his presentation.
Martin Soutschek from OutdoorActive finishes speaking about AI and habitat development. He believes that the health of people and their environment is paramount and that it takes courage to change, as well as the involvement of each individual. He sees the simulation of scenarios, the integration of perspectives and the monitoring of certain KPIs (key performance indicators) as the main tasks in the field of AI.
Real Deep Dive: AI is everywhere!
Roland Trebo and Alex Mirschel explain in another presentation that “AI is already integrated into every piece of software, every computer, every smartphone. We often no longer realise that this is already AI”, they say. AI has become as normal as a spell checker on every computer!
Microsoft Copilot acts as a chatbot in all Microsoft Office applications. If you use Copilot in MS PowerPoint, for example (“Create a presentation with eight slides as an introduction to artificial intelligence in tourism”), the result is already relatively usable. According to the pair, Copilot in MS Excel provides “good support for standard tasks, but will certainly need to be further improved”. According to their outlook, Microsoft Copilot could become the most widely used AI solution in the corporate sector by 2027!
Google Gemini, similar to Microsoft Copilot, already offers full integration of AI functions in Google Workspace. Designed for everyday tasks, it helps to manage and improve typical workflow tasks: “Find delivery note xy on my drive. Which emails from today do I still need to answer? Create a sheet as a mini CRM for my new product.” Instructions such as these are already being completed satisfactorily, with the addition of:
- Smart Compose in Gmail (AI-supported suggestions when writing)
- “Help me write” in Google Docs
- Data recognition in Google Sheets for the creation of diagrams based on AI
- Transcription and subtitles in real time: AI is able to create automatic subtitles and transcribe meeting minutes.
Apple Intelligence, on the other hand, takes a completely different approach. Here, the AI is integrated into the operating system and the issue of data protection is well anchored, according to Alex Mirschel and Roland Trebo. Apple Intelligence applications work on MacBooks (from 2020) and new iPhones (from version 15). If required, the AI can use ChatGPT or other AI systems for more complex tasks. Apple Intelligence has not yet been rolled out in Europe, but this is probably only a matter of time. Siri, the Apple language model, has become more context-aware and can already process increasingly complex requests.
Real Deep Dive: AI Influencer.
Now to what I think is a very exciting topic: What role do AI influencers actually play? (And what does that mean “for the rest of us”, working here in the digital content creator sector?) 😀
Elif Turan, responsible for social media and influencer marketing at the German National Tourist Board, opens the discussion about AI influencers. Since October 2024, she explains, “the digital influencer Emma has been an integral part of the GNTB’s digital strategy“. This strategy also includes chatbots, open data/knowledge graphs, voice assistants and AI-supported systems for text and image generation. According to Elif Turan, Emma is intended to “reach online travellers and tech-savvy target groups”. She is used as an AI travel companion in addition to influencer marketing with existing, real people and creates inspiration for Germany as a travel destination on her Instagram page.
“AI influencers”, Elif Turan continues, “are widely accepted outside of Europe. That’s why we at the GNTB were also concerned with ensuring international connectivity in a competitive environment. We are seeing a stronger presence in the customer journey thanks to the permanent availability of AI and can improve customer experiences through data-driven marketing.”
As an example, she compares virtual influencers: @venereitalia23 auf Instagram or the digital model @francescagiubelli “powered by AI”. Francesca and Emma are based purely on AI; the former is already working with brands such as BMW and Apple. Exciting!
Michael Umschaden-Neubauer, Head of Digital Media and Systems at the Carinthia Tourism Board, reports on the use of AI as a concierge. Since March 2023, the regional Austrian tourism board has been using AI at their visitor information points whenever staff are not on site. The Carinthia AI Concierge has already answered around 14,000 questions – in many different languages.
To create a digital avatar of an employee, the team used HeyGen’s AI Video Generator to create multilingual video reels. Michael Umschaden-Neubauer: “Authenticity is important to us; the technology should provide support, but not be too prominent.”
In the ensuing discussion, the question of the acceptance of AI influencers arises? Is it even convincing and: Are there already studies in this area?
According to the discussion, all studies relate without exception to younger target groups. According to a study from Washington, 81% of Gen Z are attracted to the idea of interacting with virtual influencers. The acceptance of these influencers is much more localised in the American or Asian region, not (yet) so much in the German-speaking countries of Europe.
Elif Turan: “I can only emphasise it once again: Our Emma is another addition to reach tech-savvy target groups, in a new way. Influencers and traditional journalists definitely still have their place in the mix.”
Real Deep Dive: Photo and Video powered by AI.
In another “Real Deep Dive”, Franz-Josef Baldus from the Snack Content Company explores the question: What can avatars do for us?
“Do you remember Vine? Those were the 6-second videos that first appeared around 10 years ago”, says Franz Josef Baldus. Just like back then, there are now “new tools for content creation, especially in the field of video AI”. He uses Wondercraft to create dialogues and lets avatars discuss with each other, which are then created using programs such as Hedra, HeyGen or Runway: “Hedra is currently the best because it also allows the body to move in lip sync. This makes the avatars look the most natural in their conversations.”
Günter Exel also advocates the use of AI in image and video generation with a great deal of passion and expertise.
So if 2024 was the year of image and video generation in the field of AI, what are the current (and ongoing) challenges? Günter Exel is certain: “In one to two years, AI image processing programmes will have reached total perfection and completely changed the visual world as we know it – feature films, gaming, the internet, you name it. The representation of text in images will also continue to improve.”
AI is already replacing photo and video editing tools that were previously only accessible to professionals with certain programme licences. With videos, for example, it is now possible to turn the 16:9 format into 9:16 – the missing image information for this format change is already being created sufficiently well.
Günter Exel lists Runway, Kling, Luma AI and Hailuo AI as currently well-known AI video generators. With most platforms, however, you have to expect longer waiting times in the free model, says Günter. Also, prompts are not always translated directly into the desired video image: “In more complex scenes, movements are still not correct, and emotions still need to be prompted in detail.” Controlling the image process therefore (still) remains a challenge.
What does all this mean for content production in companies? Catharina Fischer: “The possibilities will increase over the next few years. There are still various tools that make AI-generated video possible, but soon everything will come from a single source, i.e. one programme. Content creation with AI will become a standard skill for marketing employees, because everything will be very easy to do.”
High-quality, target group-specific content will become increasingly relevant. This means that AI will also be used in an increasingly coordinated and targeted manner. Good content that convinces is still important. In the course of important things such as brand safety or recognition value, AI applications will gradually find their place – and become normalised.
Franz-Josef Baldus concludes: “In just a few years, AI-generated films will be a reality. It’s a huge change, like the transition from silent film to sound film. In future, stunts will be purely automated with AI. And who knows? In 20 years, there may be AI-generated film stars. One thing is certain: The possibilities are already there (for everyone). The entire film industry will change. Avatars on websites will become the norm – not in two years, but in 20.”
Real Deep Dive: Automation and Agents.
In their presentation, Roland Trebo and Kristine Honig explore the question: How can AI make our everyday lives easier? The fact is that we would all like to get rid of (unloved) routine tasks, such as answering enquiries, creating plans and documents, or processing data and files. If you ask employees what is most annoying in companies, the answers are often: meetings, phone calls, emails and file management! This is where the two believe AI-supported solutions offer the greatest potential for savings.
Agents, i.e. artificial intelligence that can interact with its environment as a software programme, will soon be carrying out self-determined tasks. Humans will continue to set the goals, but AI agents will take independent action to achieve them.
Actual AI products.
- ViralSpoon, an AI social media manager to create AI-supported social media posts. In contrast to Canva, this AI offers a strong focus on the respective company. The paid software is available from €49 per month.
- Empion, an AI-supported HR network to find suitable employers and employees. Compared to other industries, the HR sector is still lagging far behind when it comes to AI integration – Empion wants to change this.
- Realising Progress itself has founded DestiHub as an AI framework – an AI dashboard for destinations, away from pure text creation and flexible in all directions. DestiHub offers prompt templates, such as the creation of a press release, website texts, newsletters, etc. The brand voice rewrites texts to the tonality of the company – a marketplace concept for destinations with AI assistants.
AI – and now? Visions and realities.
In conclusion, everyone agrees that AI is more than just another tool. A holistic approach is required: always start with the question of WHY, then WHAT and HOW. Vision and strategy in the company decide: How and where can AI be used? Education is also key: every employee in the company should be aware of the possibilities of AI and demonstrate an understanding of the subject matter. Events like this also help here!
And now to you: What is your current relationship to AI? Which developments fascinate you the most? I am curious and look forward to hearing from you.