In the year that Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey turns 50, you could be forgiven for asking where is the space-age future we were promised? Many still choose to travel to meetings in favour of using videophones and we don't have a permanent colony on the Moon, let alone Jupiter. Teleconferencing technology is improving though as just a few weeks ago Canadian researchers unveiled the TeleHuman 2, a 3D holographic projection system that smacks of the Star Trek holodeck. The system is based on a ring of intelligent projectors mounted above and around a reflective, human-sized cylindrical pod. The display projects a light field composed of many images, one for every degree of angle, so users need not wear a headset or 3D glasses to see each other.

Hans Christian Andersen once said, "to travel is to live". He may not have had business class travellers in mind, but if you live your life travelling for work that life is set to improve, radically. In future, when it comes to business class, there won't just be options to consider, you'll enjoy a personalised experience based on price, convenience and comfort. Within the next five years, business travel is predicted to show such rapid growth it will be worth £1.3 trillion to the global economy, up from £1 trillion in 2017, according to Allied Market Research. "The business travel audience for an airline is super high value and that's why they're all challenging their business models to see who can win in this race," explains Randel Darby, chief executive of luggage concierge service AirPortr.

It may not help you get through the airport faster, but artificial intelligence (AI) can now give you information on wait times at Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoints in real time. The airport recently announced a partnership with Zensors, a Pittsburgh-based company that applies AI to feeds from airport security cameras to estimate wait times at the airport's three Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints on a minute-by-minute basis. Wait-time information is then posted on the airport's information screens and website, including predictions about whether wait times will increase or decrease. Zensors' AI observes passenger volume and also includes factors like time of day and TSA staffing levels to make its estimates. "We know security can be a frustration for travellers and having accurate wait estimates can help set expectations and aid in planning trips," said Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis.

Business travellers think their trips could be improved by Artificial Intelligence-based technology but are reluctant about sharing some types of personal data. A survey by expense and travel management firm SAP Concur found 52% of UK business travellers thought AI would make business trips safer through services such as predictive risk alerts around natural disasters. While even more travellers (75%) said AI would help to make their journeys more personalised. But despite these perceived benefits from AI, travellers were less willing to share certain types of personal data, particularly home addresses, which only 25% were prepared to share, followed by biometrics (27%) and phone numbers (33%). They were more prepared to share information such as email addresses (54%), travel preferences (52%) and their gender (46%).

Many people have fears about artificial intelligence (AI) and the sharing of personal data, while at the same time believing that AI can improve our travelling experience. That's according to a survey by SAP Concur, which found more than half (52%) of business travellers believe artificial intelligence can make trips safer. The sharing of biometrics and phone numbers appeared to be most off limits to respondents. Chris Baker, SVP and MD EMEA North, SAP Concur said: "Business travellers see a lot of potential in how AI can power the next generation of travel. "From safety to preference, AI will change the very core of the travel experience for the better.