Travel planning often feels like a tedious chore that artificial intelligence chatbots should ideally streamline. While the technology was subpar just a couple of years ago, the question remains: is AI now truly up to the task?
As the personal tech columnist for The New York Times and a seasoned traveler, Brian X. Chen was keen to test whether AI could simplify his planning process, which typically consumed hours of reading travel guides and manually inputting information into notepads and spreadsheets. For this evaluation, he mapped out a 14-day trip last month to Taiwan and Hong Kong with his family, and also sought AI assistance for an upcoming summer vacation to Hawaii.
Numerous options were available, including specialized apps using AI for flight bookings, as well as popular chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude. However, preferring the convenience of a single application over toggling between multiple, Chen decided to focus on Google's Gemini chatbot. His choice was driven by two key reasons: firstly, Gemini was already integrated with Google’s extensive resources for finding flights and dining options, unlike other chatbots; and secondly, he aimed to test it in conjunction with Ask Maps, a new AI feature embedded within the Google Maps app.
The positive outcome was that the Gemini chatbot, which recently received enhancements to deliver more bespoke responses based on personal data, combined with Ask Maps, proved to be a potent duo. This combination significantly saved time, particularly when researching restaurants and tourist attractions. Chen reported spending only about 30 minutes on planning his activities for Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Conversely, Gemini occasionally made errors, such as forgetting to include underwear on the packing list, which necessitated some manual rectification. Despite these imperfections, Chen generally recommends using Gemini as a virtual travel agent to assist with planning future trips.
A deeper dive reveals Gemini’s superior capability for trip planning compared to other AI chatbots stems from its direct access to Google Flights and Google Hotels for airfare and lodging lookups. Chen also advocates for a minimalist approach to travel apps, likening Gemini to a digital Swiss Army knife due to its comprehensive functionality. Google also recently rolled out two additional AI features beneficial for trip planning: Personalized Intelligence, an option activatable within the Gemini app settings, and Ask Maps, a button now integrated into the Google Maps app. With Personalized Intelligence, Gemini can leverage data from various Google services, including Gmail, Calendar, and a user's search history, to formulate its responses.