The impact of artificial intelligence on our daily lives is already being felt; yet, there has been little investigation into the ethical implications, which could be concerning. The Tourism and hospitality area holds a unique array of stakeholders that are central to human values. Systems with Artificial Intelligence in Tourism and Hospitality use vast amounts of personal and confidential type data which raises privacy concerns.
Dr. Jassim Haji, Bahrain
With technologies playing a vital role in multicultural interaction it is imperative that applied research is paid attention to. The Tourism and hospitality area holds a unique array of stakeholders that are central to human values. A conceptual framework would include ‘Human-human-AI’ interaction levels, direct and indirect stakeholders, and the macro environment overall. There are several reasons why the importance of Artificial Intelligence ethics in Tourism and Hospitality is important, firstly AI in this field can learn to make decisions on complex and big data easily, and managers have already transferred some of this decision-making process. Questions of control and accountability are raised when such action is taken so quickly. In parallel, AI systems in Tourism and Hospitality use vast amounts of personal and confidential type data which raises privacy concerns. The use of AI in companies within this field is also influenced directly by many stakeholders whose interests and security could be affected (Airlines, Hotels, Tour Operators, Museums, Restaurants, etc.).
An example would be when an AI system might decide to increase prices for the fare for flights for some passengers and decrease them for others, based on the willingness to spend, but by doing so the AI system could violate not international or governmental laws, but the fairness of the airline’s revenue management practice due to the unequal basis of proportions. A pricing strategy could influence the revenues of a company, and therefore undermine its competitiveness and impact the intermediaries such as a travel agency which would on a commission-based model AI will continue to advance and there is no exception within the Tourism and Hospitality industry.
However, the adoption of AI technologies needs to be implemented ethically to ensure that human values are respected and designed for. Theoretically, there is a fundamental realization that AI systems that are ubiquitous and pervasive can cause detrimental impacts and those impacts could be crossing national boundaries and impact different societies and cultures. Given these impacts, a conceptual approach that centralizes all affected stakeholders plus their values must be taken into consideration when designing these systems. Organizations must work with industry partners when developing systems that want to adopt to produce automated decisions based on big data – this will then lead to the adoption of addressing any ethical issues.
A centralized human value chain is required at the design level of any implementation of AI, and not doing this would incur biased and uneven AI systems making decisions that adversely impact the organization and those affiliated with them. The enrolment of stakeholder input at the conceptual stages is the key to the fair ethical use of AI systems within the Tourism and Hospitality sector, and given its growing importance to countries, governments, people and businesses, it should be seen as a vital first step. Those interacting with the technology on a first-hand basis must be in constant contact with the design and widespread impact of the dynamic AI system.
What is the role of AI in the travel and hospitality industry?
Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a tremendous impact on the travel and hospitality industries by automating operations, improving consumer experiences, and delivering personalised recommendations. It is used for customer service chatbots, demand forecasting, pricing optimisation, and virtual assistants for travellers and make decisions based on data
How has AI improved customer experiences in the travel and hospitality industry?
What are the AI applications in the travel and hospitality industry?
How has AI impacted the efficiency and operations of travel and hospitality businesses?
Are there any concerns or challenges associated with AI in the travel and hospitality industry?
How is AI expected to shape the future of the travel and hospitality industry?