A digital travel assistant who "knows" what you are looking for Imagine a scenario where a travel shopper is able to plan a trip, just the way one ends up following or liking content on Instagram or watching a series on Netflix. You come across travel-related offerings or bundles based on your interest, browsing sessions etc. But how to facilitate such an experience or a trip in a seamless way, for instance, via a platform that is like a #recommender system rather than a typical interface that makes you search for options from A to B. "Airlines without Enterprise AI and emerging data in their plans are planning to fail," said Ricardo Pilon, during Ai's event on retailing optimization. It is time carriers reassess how travellers shop, what are the shortcomings in #travel retailing and how to solve customer queries or come up with recommendations in real-time. Pilon spoke about a concept called "retail marketplace of experiences", toward which he is developing a solution.

The light bulb flickers inside the old elevator that creaks as it takes you to the eighth floor of the 1960s-era building, tucked away in a corner of Mile End that was Montreal's garment industry a half century ago. Walk down the dank corridor and into the office of Landr's. The contrast is striking: White, shiny and minimalist, the space embodies the new economy. Its 70 employees are young, educated and casually dressed. The juxtaposition of the office space housing the four-year-old audio technology firm inside the aging building is an easy metaphor for how the Quebec government hopes to inject new life into its economy by kick-starting the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.