How AI can help you book your next vacation

Artificial intelligence is impacting everything from your job to driving - and now it can help plan your next vacation. Priceline CEO Brett Keller joined TheStreet to discuss how his company, and the travel industry in general, is using AI to help travelers plan the perfect getaway.

Full Video Transcript Below:

CONWAY GITTENS: So you mentioned launched your very first chat bot. Penny right. In 2023, I believe. So what are some of the ways travelers are leveraging that technology to book their travel plans.

BRETT KELLER: Yeah, absolutely. So Penny is our chatbot. She does a number of really great things for consumers as they move through their shopping process. One upfront. She can certainly provide interesting ideas and thoughts for you in terms of top destinations where people are looking to travel. But more importantly, as you move through the process, as you're looking at a hotel or a resort. Penny can answer all kinds of questions for you about that property that otherwise you may not have known. For example, you might be interested in the type of restaurants that are nearby within walking distance. And this is where AI plays an important role for the travel shopping process. She also has a full understanding of what deals and discounts and coupons are available at any given time for you individually as a consumer, and she can present those to you and even apply those for you as you move through the transaction path. So a lot of hand-holding as you move through that booking to give you more security and comfort in the type of property or a flight that you're purchasing.

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CONWAY GITTENS: I'm wondering if Penny is going to help us when our flights are delayed or our flights get canceled. You know, everybody. I'm sure you get a ton of outrage, phone calls and emails when things happen like that. Can Penny help us with that?

BRETT KELLER: Yeah, well, there's nothing more stressful, obviously, than having the perfect dream trip and having something go wrong. And just about every trip you take, there's some nuance or something is going to go off. And on occasion you may need to pick up the phone and call for help. Penny is being trained on all of our customer services and so she understands what types of challenges you might be facing. She understands the cancellation policies, your opportunities and options. And so, yes, she already is answering those types of questions for you real time as you come into our website. And over time, she'll play a bigger role as you pick up the phone and call our agents because she should be faster and more efficient at getting to some of these easier questions faster and then connecting you to the right agent for the more complex transactions.

CONWAY GITTENS: And how do you expect AI to impact the travel industry as we go forward in the coming years.

BRETT KELLER: Yeah, it's going to impact it in a number of different ways. You should find that you'll have a lot more information about destinations, about hotels and properties. It's going to be much more personalized for you in particular into your travel needs. So if you're traveling with a family or if you're a solo traveler, whether you're traveling with a pet, it will be able to hone in and really give you great guidance and search results based on what's important to you. And so AI will play a role there. It will certainly play a role in helping you navigate sticky situations. And eventually we'll be able to do all the work for you when it comes to rebooking a flight for you, whether it's finding an option, a travel destination for you that's new and unknown, it really can impact all facets of the travel experience.

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