On Monday, the artificial intelligence giant OpenAI introduced a new feature enabling users to make purchases directly through ChatGPT, in partnership with Etsy and Shopify. Travel experts say this innovation could pave the way for a significant transformation in how we book holidays, as the travel industry braces for a “massively disruptive” technological update.
OpenAI announced, “Users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers right in chat, with over a million Shopify merchants, like Glossier, SKIMS, Spanx, and Vuori, coming soon. Today, Instant Checkout supports single-item purchases. Next, we’ll add multi-item carts and expand merchants and regions.”
This move is set to disrupt the online commerce world by allowing ChatGPT’s 700 million weekly users to shop within the AI interface itself, without visiting other websites. This development grants OpenAI considerable influence in the e-commerce sector and the potential to generate substantial revenue through seller fees.
Following the announcement, experts in the future of travel predicted that ChatGPT, or another similar large language model, could achieve market dominance and evolve into a “super-app,” serving as a gateway to every part of the internet. Currently, many tech-savvy travelers use AI to plan holidays in detail. However, the big difference in the future will be the ability to book an entire holiday within a minimal number of clicks — all without leaving the chat interface.
Speaking at the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) summit in Rome on Tuesday, Guy Johnson, an anchor with Bloomberg, said, “That is a huge shift. That is a new model. That is massively disruptive.”
Gaurav Bhatnagar, co-founder of TBO.com, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the benefits for customers: “The quality of service will improve. You will need fewer people as a travel company. From a customer’s perspective, it will be cheaper, easier to book, and the experience will be better.”
Bhatnagar also emphasized the implications for travel companies: “It is likely that when ChatGPT gets the customer to the point of booking, it will send the holiday plan out to its clients and ask who wants to bid for this. My guess is that ChatGPT wants to replace Amazon, Booking.com, and become the super app.”
Paolo Benanti, president of the AI Commission for Information and a member of the UN Advisory Board on AI, was similarly optimistic: “You would expect that an AI agent could arrange travel more accurately than a human can.”
The prospect of an AI revolution in travel has been brewing for several years. At last year’s WTTC summit, experts predicted how large language models could be used to generate personalized travel itineraries for holidaymakers.
Despite the promise, challenges remain. Travel and tourism businesses face a shortage of AI-skilled workers, limited AI infrastructure, and often, the absence of a formal AI strategy. The WTTC urged the industry to embrace AI as a strategic priority, investing heavily in talent to foster effective collaboration between humans and AI.
As this technology continues to evolve, it promises to redefine the travel experience — making holiday planning and booking more seamless, efficient, and personalized than ever before.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/travel-experts-predict-holidays-soon-35990157