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How Qatar Airways is harnessing the power of AI to improve the passenger experience

Qatar airways hostess smiles in the plane cabin.

Artificial intelligence has moved from being a niche technology that you might hear spoken about in sci-fi movies to something that now shapes so many aspects of our daily lives.

From personalised recommendations on streaming platforms, to powering the future of autonomous cars, AI's influence is ever-present and is driving innovation forward in just about every industry.

As part of its commitment to improve the digital experience for its customers, Qatar Airways wanted to harness the power of AI to help tackle some of its passengers’ biggest pain points. It decided to take the bold move to integrate AI into its Digital Human cabin crew, Sama, to take away some of the stress and complications of planning a trip.

Imagine booking a flight and having a knowledgeable travel companion waiting to answer all the questions you might have. For Qatar Airways customers, Sama is on hand to offer exactly that.

Whether you have a quick question about the baggage allowance, need help when travelling with children or even want some inspiration on what you can do when you get to your destination, Sama can help.

Simply speak or type your request to ask Sama within the QVerse – Qatar Airways’ virtual reality experience – and have her respond with an answer in seconds. Travellers can then continue the conversation until all their questions have been answered, speaking just as they would to a real staff member, saving themselves time and removing the need for lengthy research.

This high level of customer experience was important to Qatar Airways when planning their next generation of Sama, and it’s thanks to the advanced conversational skills offered through a seamless OpenAI integration, that makes this possible.

At the same time, Qatar Airways has been careful to ensure Sama only has access to specific data sources, so the information she provides is always trustworthy and accurate. The only thing worse than not being able to find an answer to your question is finding the wrong one, so Qatar Airways has ensured that its customers can have complete confidence in Sama’s responses.

For that reason, there will be some limitations, for now at least. Sama won’t be able to provide any real-time flight information, for example, but – as you’d expect with Qatar Airways – plans for the technology don’t end here. It was the airline that delivered the world’s first digital cabin crew, after all, so you can expect that what Sama is capable of now is only the beginning.

Qatar Airways plans to keep Sama regularly updated, improving what she is capable of and introducing new features to ensure customers are always getting the very best experience. Eventually, it’s expected that Sama will be able to book flights for customers with a simple request.

Driving this development forward is Qatar Airways’ continued commitment to innovation and its determination to set a new standard for the aviation industry, when it comes to its digital offering. Sama is a huge part of this, and there is plenty more yet to come.

To find out more and to speak to Sama, visit QVerse here.

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