A solid majority of travel technology professionals have designated generative AI as a high priority, and they were nearly unanimous that its use for travel will be widespread within the next few years, according to an Amadeus Insights report published on Thursday.
The report, based on a survey of 306 senior travel technology leaders conducted by Mercury Analytics in the third quarter of this year, showed 46 percent of respondents said generative AI was a top priority, more than any other technology in the survey including data management, which was a top priority for 38 percent of respondents, and cloud architecture at 36 percent. An additional 35 percent said generative AI was a "high priority" for their company.
On a regional basis, generative AI was the biggest priority for the Asia-Pacific region, with 61 percent of respondents there saying it was a top priority, compared with 47 percent in Europe and 30 percent in North America. Amadeus in the report said the discrepancy could stem from U.S. companies already investing heavily in generative AI, making it less of a priority, or that companies in the U.S. are "beginning to hit some of the barriers to deployment."
Among those barriers, 56 percent of total respondents said their technology infrastructure needs work before they can deploy generative AI, and 53 percent said they were concerned about internal data management and organization. Data security was the top concern.
"These concerns are partly fueled by the fear of cyber-attacks, data breaches and regulatory penalties," according to the report. "Companies are keenly aware of the ethical and legal implications that mishandling data can bring, which calls for robust security measures and stricter compliance with evolving global regulations."
Even so, only 2 percent of respondents said it would take three or more years for generative AI to have a "significant presence" in the travel sector. In fact, more than half said it already has a significant presence, while an additional 36 percent said that would emerge over the next year.
Digital assistance for travelers during booking emerged as the most popular use case for generative AI in the survey, cited by 53 percent of respondents as something for which they were using it. That was followed by recommendations for activities or venues (48 percent) and content generation (47 percent).
"Generative AI is no longer a 'coming technology;' it has arrived," Amadeus senior lead for innovation Nicolas Hauviller said in a statement. "From digital travel assistants to recommendation engines, content generation and feedback analysis, stakeholders across the industry are finding innovative ways to deploy this new technique in search of an enhanced passenger experience."