COMMENT IN MY OPINION


When I was a young PR account manager, I was trained extensively to


read and practise body language in my communications with clients. It’s something I have used extensively throughout my career, and it has always given me an advantage. I remember my first lesson. We were


told that only 7% of the messages picked up by people came from the words you said, whereas 38% came from the tone of your voice and 55% from your body language. It was called a soft skill and not everyone subscribed to it. So, like many in the industry, I was


both fascinated and heartened by Kuoni’s recent experiment pitting the much-vaunted artificial intelligence (AI) of a machine against the good old- fashioned human travel agent and their expertise, experience and opinions. The experiment revealed that when it came to recommending a holiday or explaining the differences between destinations, the human agents, perhaps unsurprisingly, won hands down.


Empathy void As Derek Jones, UK chief executive of Kuoni’s parent company, Der Touristik, pointed out in a tweet about the experiment, while artificial intelligence is brilliant with facts and tasks, it struggles with opinions and feelings – innately human characteristics that require empathy and an ability to read between the lines. However, there is little doubt that


the technology will keep improving. In many areas, where AI failed in the Kuoni test, it will eventually improve


Don’t fear AI, just harness the best of it


Artificial intelligence won’t replace our preference to deal with people


STEVE DUNNE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DIGITAL DRUMS


and then the playing field will even out. So, will AI eventually replace the agent? I’ve been avidly reading every report about the predicted impact of AI. Many jobs are predicted to disappear within 10 years because of it. Some are obvious: taxi drivers, cashiers, bank tellers and postal workers. Others less obvious: surveyors, carpenters and even architects have all been listed as endangered roles. And, it must be said, the travel agent is mentioned on nearly every one of these future-extinction lists. However, for me, the futurologists that


compile these lists overlook some vital skills in selling a holiday. They mistake the role of a travel agent as one of simply booking a flight, selecting a hotel and highlighting features in a destination. And yes, on that basis AI is all-powerful. But the futurologists forget how important holidays are to people. Cus- tomers want inspiration and reassurance – but not from a set of algorithms. Being able to read a customer’s hidden desires,


fears, comfort zones and aspirations will become increasingly important in the age of AI.


The people factor And, no matter how much technology develops, it will never replace a fundamental principle for most of us: people like to deal with people. For in an age where trust is a scarce


and ever-diminishing commodity, and where third-party endorsement from someone you like or respect is keenly sought, the people skills of a travel agent will be the one thing AI will find challenging to replicate. If we harness the best of AI for our businesses, remain adaptable and resourceful – and brush up on our body- language skills – we could be on the cusp of a golden era for travel agents.


READ MORE COLUMNS BY STEVE DUNNE: GO.TRAVELWEEKLY.CO.UK/COMMENT


32travelweekly.co.uk28 February 2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80