Air NZ's new chatbot

Air New Zealand is dipping its toes into artificial intelligence, launching a customer service chatbot that helps passengers with common queries. The airline hopes Oscar, full name Bravo Oscar Tango, will become a "virtual travel assistant", helping passengers through every step of their journey. Oscar will initially help customers with commonly asked queries, which Air New Zealand says will save them time and offer a more personalised experience than searching a traditional Frequently Asked Questions section online. As with other artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Oscar will learn based on the conversations - verbal and text - people have with him, becoming more user-friendly and helpful the more he interacts. Air New Zealand chief digital officer Avi Golan said Oscar had been launched as a beta or early stage product allowing customers to play an active role in training him.