Simplifying travel planning through technology and AI: Interview (Includes interview and first-hand account)

One company pioneering technological innovations in travel is KAYAK, and the company is taking a self-declared bullish approach to using artificial intelligence to forward the next phase of travel planning. For example, KAYAK recently was the first in the travel industry to launch of a hands-free booking capabilities on Alexa for hotels. KAYAK assistants currently are also found on platforms like Facebook Messenger, Microsoft Teams, Apple TV, Google Home, and Slack. To understand how travel bookings and planning are changing, Digital Journal caught up with Matthias Keller, the Chief Scientist at KAYAK. Digital Journal: What are the main challenges facing the travel sector in terms of AI? Matthias Keller: One challenge we're facing is that voice transactions are brand new and people are not yet used to spending money on these platforms.