Using AI for Travel

I don't trust that AI information is properly vetted, and I find thinking is the best part of being human, something AI negates. I'll continue to use the internet, which I found a plenty valuable tool without AI.

The flurry of low quality books made with AI is concerning. See recent articles about mushroom identification and AI and you will see there are concerns beyond misinformation.

I seriously doubt AI is going to give me any information that i cant find for myself in a library or the internet, or talking to, you know, people. And I can use my judgement when vetting the source for accuracy. Especially the latter. Given some of the stories I've read about ridiculous things AI has related as fact, I don't trust it as far as I could throw it. If I could throw it, LOL.

I would be wary. Just from the information that Bard gave that Messina is a “beautiful and magnificent” place. It's where my mother-in-law was born and where her twin sister still lives . . . It has some nice elements and interesting history, but “beautiful and magnificent” is more than a stretch. So the one place I know about and have been too is completely mischaracterized. Doesn't give me much confidence in Bard's info.

Hi Kim,

Here is how Bard begins to describe Messina:

"Here's what I found about Messina, a fascinating city in Sicily:"

and I will try to add some other things that Bard told me. I am unable to copy all the information

Added:

and continuing on
Messina Cathedral: A stunning Norman cathedral with a Gothic portal, 15th-century windows, and an astronomical clock.
Fountains: The city boasts beautiful marble fountains like the Fontana di Orione and the Neptune Fountain.
Natural Harbor: The harbor itself is a sight to behold, offering views of the Calabria region across the strait.

periscope

I kept it a complete secret. Did not tell one soul so now I can tell my friends and others

Thanks to all of you for your responses

I still do not know enough about AI to respond fully. But it was fun while it lasted.

Yes, I am sure that is what Bard said. It's overselling it. I have been there a few times. But what does my actual personal experience matter when compared to AI?! Silly me.

Erm... if you wanted info on places in Sicily, why not just go to something vaguely dependable, like a tourism website like VisitSicily?

PS Thowing in a bunch of flowery adjectives may make it sound fabulous, but it doesn't make it so.

From what you describe I see no advantage or intelligence in it. An engine just pushes information that you did not have before - from a European perspective I cannot believe that somebody never heard of these destinations if he did only a 10 minute search of top destination islands in the Mediterranean Sea. In the 1980s a whole airline group was built upon offering more flights from more destination to Palma de Majorca.

The advantage is not intelligence, it is only that for some users it is more convenient to search and consume information as in a talk with another person, call it "fun" or entertainment. The risk is the same like in real life - 80% of not real known things are stated as "it is so", not "I heard of" or any confidence level. So, do not trust the engine, it is not intelligent, it is a parrot just repeating what somebody else was talking / writing before. The level of added value / information is zero. Even BI (business intelligence) / data mining solutions of the late 90s created more insights and useful information.

I've been playing with Gemini for a bit.

Think of it as doing a Google Search but on steroids. Rather than give you a bunch of links to go to, it gathers information and spits it out. The bad part about that is you don't know where the information has come from. Is it from a legitimate source or an amalgamation of BS.

It's not a bad tool to use but I wouldn't rely on it 100%.

Well Kim,

I am taking a cruise . One of the ports is Messina. I will be there for a few to several hours and take an excursion. Since it is my first time visiting, maybe I will feel differently than you.

I will be posting a review in November

CJean

I am usimg other tools as well such as youtube videos and yes, websites. I never rely on only one tool.. But I am mentioning that I have enjoyed using Bard / Gemini.

I will probably sign up for an excursion when it is all said and done.

I'm glad AI is helping you find information for your ports,

but, but, but....

You still need to develop a system that works for you so you can access your research when you are on the go. If you can't go back to refer to your AI "information" you may be as bewildered as you were in Bruges on your last cruise and have unsatisfying port visits. For instance, before your trip you'd asked for and gotten excellent information from forum members on what to see in Bruges and how to see it. According to your Trip Report you had a very hard time there, coupled, of course, with some physical challenges:

"I did not know what to do or where to go. I am not even certain of what I did do or what I saw. I was expecting visitor information or signage."

Some of that basic information had been given on at least 2 threads on Bruges a year or so apart but without the suggestions at hand on the day touring in Bruges they were useless.

This will be the same with the AI information. If it can't be easily accessed from an itinerary or document on your iPad or sheet of paper printed with the information it will not be of help either.

My wish for you is to have a wonderful cruise in the Fall and hopefully you'll have your new port information at your fingertips to refer to even if you are on a port excursion.

Hello Pam

regarding Bruges. I realize now that the problem was my knee. I was not expecting so much pain and I had to give up maybe half way or 2/3rd's of the way to the center..

to this day, I am so heartbroken

If you remember, I did have an injection before leaving home which did not work.

I have an appointment with a surgeon in June and I will go from there.

Back to Bruges. I went to the toilets and I was asked if I wanted a map. I gather that might have been information but I did not see any sign that said information. There were obvious signs that said toilet.

I believe that I have gotten better at keeping notes. However most of the ports, I will be taking excursions and I have booked three for persons with canes, walkers, wheelchairs and caregivers of thos in wheelchairs. Rome and Florence both have excursions for those with canes, etc I now use a cne.

I will read your post again and may have to come back and edit mine. Thanks for jumping in.

Hi Frank II

Keep in mind that I was testing Bard / Gemini for Google. There were times when I knew or felt the information that I was given was not correct and reported that to Google.

But there were also times when I felt that I was given some very good information and I reported that.

I agree that Bard / Gemini is like Google on steroids but I learned something about AI. I knew nothing about it when I began testing it and now at least I can talk about AI

For my travel, I use many sources for information and Bard / Gemini will be among the sources.

There is a gentleman on the forum who used AI to do the first draft of his trip that included Budapest. He sent me the draft to review. I am not going to say it was "bad" but it had sufficient errors in it to bring the whole process into question. I like the guy so this isnt critisicm, but the hands on revisions now focused on fixing the AI tour as opposed to creating the most beneficial tour from scratch. Some of the user input even got twisted by the AI.

Again, not terrible. But better, I think, to start correct then patch an error.

I'm indifferent to AI. It does not concern me, I have no fear of it and I've at least been entertained by the songs/music that friends have created through AI music generators.

I've played with a few AI trip planning generators, generally looking for travel itineraries to the UK centered on subjects that interested me – blacksmithing, iron & metal working, Industrial Revolution & technology, and Virginia's history in the UK.

Overall there were some very nice trip itineraries created, especially for someone probably taking their first trip and looking to hit the popular sites.

Creating an itinerary themed on iron and industry never suggested Ironbridge, Abraham Darby's first coke furnace, Coalbrookdake, Blist Hill Victorian Town, Black Country Museum. No mention of the Armour's Guildhall in Moorgate. But recommendations for popular attractions in London, Manchester and Birmingham, with dubious connections to iron, plus a number of pubs with blacksmith in their name. Did get a suggestion to go mudlarking on the Thames to see evidence of London's industrial history – but then no mention of licensing requirements.

Creating an itinerary connected to Virginia history? Got an itinerary including Houses of Parliament, because the UK and US are allies and Virginia is a US state. Also included HMS Belfast and Churchill War Rooms, because the UK and US are allies and Virginia is a US state. Same with the Franklin House. Never got Virginia Quay in Blackwall, John Smith's burial at St Sepulcher without Newgate, Pocahontas’s burial at St George's, Gravesend, or the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. On the other hand I'd not expect suggestions for the more obscure sites I'm familiar with.

As I said, I'm just indifferent to AI, and while there appeared to be some nice itineraries created, I know my interests are probably too specific, obscure and often off the general tourist path. There's also the reality that I absolutely enjoy the research, digging deep and peeling back the layers. I may get a friend to create a AI itinerary tailored to their interests and then research what they received for accuracy and logistics.

And AI seems to be much more polite and considerate and tolerant than a lot of other sources of information.

I know my interests are probably too specific, obscure and often off the general tourist path.

but isn't that exactly what a well oiled computer should be able dig down and find instead of all the fluff and froth on the surface?

I'm so old fashioned that I still use paper maps! However, in all of my trip planning (and we take major trips every year), I do use several forums in addition to this one, including the TripAdvisor forums. And I enjoy reading blogs. From those sources I've learned about train travel and money handling and getting museum tickets, etc. etc. Obviously people on the forums are posting from their own personal experience so I know how to filter out the negatives.

I don't use anything AI generated (to my knowledge) because who knows where that information came from. Some non-sentient entity that gathers information from the internet and adds in glowing adjectives? I'm glad that bostonphil has learned stuff from his experience, and I only hope is that people do their own research after reading about those beautiful and magnificent places.

I like Frank's comment. AI is like Google on steroids. AI is so much faster and so much more robust. AI will answer a simple question like, "list hotels near the main train station of __________. It will generally offer about 10. If you ask, "give me more" you will get 10 more and so and so on. This is true with many questions asked on AI.

I would embrace it as a research tool 100%, but I would not recommend that you follow it in a recommendation mode. You still have to make the final choice or decision on any listing.