Booking.com to launch trip planner partially powered by tech

Booking.com said on Tuesday it would test a trip planner, partially powered by ChatGPT's large language model, on its Travel booking app that would allow select Travelers in the US to pose queries and create itineraries.

The feature, which will be available from Wednesday, would also rely on Booking's existing machine learning models to provide destination and accommodation options.

"Our new AI Trip Planner provides us with some really exciting possibilities to help our customers plan and search for travel options in a very natural, human way," Booking.com's technology chief Rob Francis said in a statement.

ChatGPT, created by San Francisco-based OpenAI, is a chatbot that can simulate dialogue and answer follow-up questions, admit mistakes, challenge incorrect premises and reject inappropriate requests.

The technology, known as generative AI, has taken the tech world by storm and pushed many companies to explore its uses.

An early version of the trip planner will become available to some of Booking.com's loyalty program "Genius" members in the United States over the coming weeks.

Booking's rival Expedia in April also launched a test version of its new in-app travel planning experience powered by ChatGPT where members can converse with the feature and get recommendations on places to visit.