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Take and change
– Justin Dawes
Google on Wednesday announced generative AI-powered features, including some related to the travel sector. The news was announced at Google I/O, the company’s annual developer conference, by Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other company executives.
Google Search is getting an update with Bard Generator AI, just as Microsoft updated Bing with technology from OpenAI.
That means a travel search query can be more detailed up front, and the top of the results page will be paired with a complete informational image that includes an AI-generated short answer. It also includes related links, the ability to expand results to see more information, and the ability to ask a follow-up question.
The goal is to use sophisticated technology to handle complex search queries and provide more in-depth results, rather than using the traditional method of segmenting a search to find personalized results.
“Now search does the hard work for you,” Cathy Edwards, vice president and general manager of Search Discovery and Ecosystems, said during the conference.
Edwards demoed the search query: “What’s best for a family with kids under 3 and a dog, Bryce Canyon or Arches?” The AI generated response said both places are family friendly, but only Bryce Canyon has some trails that allow dogs.
“These new generative AI capabilities make search smarter and search easier, and as you can see, that’s especially helpful when you want to understand something with multiple angles to explore,” Edwards said.
Google Maps is getting an update that gives users a bird’s-eye view of roads, which Pichai has shown can be especially useful for cyclists looking to find a scenic route with a bike path. The user can check air quality, traffic and weather and how this will change in the next few hours.
That updated Maps feature will roll out in 15 major cities this summer.
Pichai uses a travel-related example to demonstrate how AI can enhance generative Gmail. Several years ago, Google rolled out a feature that recommends short responses that users prefer for email responses. Now that feature is evolving. The updated technology can read email and prepare a reply that includes relevant details. If an airline sends an email offering a voucher when the user wants a full refund, for example, the user can ask the Gmail feature to prepare an email requesting a refund.
These announcements come a few months after Google released Bard, a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, which was released by OpenAI in November.
Google has now removed the waiting list and is opening Bard to more than 180 countries and territories. Starting today, users can interact with Bard in Japanese and Korean in addition to English, and the technology is on track to support 40 languages soon.
Since then, many partnerships and integrations have been announced for ChatGPT, including plugins to allow users to make reservations on Kayak and Expedia during travel planning.
Apart from the recent partnership between Google and eDreams Odigeo, not many announcements have been made about the integration of travel technology with Bard. Executives said they expect more interactions between the companies during the conference.
Photo Credit: Google is enhancing its products with generative AI.
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