AI-powered virtual assistant, Mezi, pivots to focus on travel

A startup that originally launched as an AI-powered virtual assistant, Mezi, has pivoted to focus on travel only. There's little to do online that's more annoying than booking flights, hotels and everything else you need just to take a break, or be somewhere for work. Mezi's newly designed app allows users to find and book flights and hotels and make restaurant reservations wherever they want to travel by simply typing a bit about what they're looking for into a messaging-style interface, or chatbot. Rather than relying on AI from the likes of IBM Watson or other providers, Mezi has built its own deep learning and natural language processing systems to make its app able to converse with users, and to filter out three options that meet their needs each time they make a request. Travel apps, from big players like Kayak and Google to growing startups like Hitlist or Skyscanner, already help users plan trips or find great deals on flights, hotels and more.