Tips To Avoid Getting Scammed By Fake Travel Guides Generated By AI
By LESLIE VELIZ
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has entered many aspects of society, including travel. Companies like Expedia use this technology to help customers plan their trips more easily.
However, AI isn't perfect and can give inaccurate advice. Travel agent Victoria Fricke from Vic's Vacations explained it's promoting information "that hasn't been vetted."
Fricke added that many travel agents and companies have been using AI-generated content to further their business, resulting in information from inexperienced advisors.
Luckily, there are ways to avoid bad information. Fricke suggests following your travel agent on social media and looking at their website to assess their content.
She said, "If it seems like a series of postcards, chances are they're not the ones creating the content," which means the travel agent might have limited knowledge.
Fricke also suggested calling the agent if you weren't referred to them by a reliable source to see if "your goals for your trip can, in fact, be met by them."
While it might be easy and fun to use AI instead of travel agents or companies, the technology can be fallible and susceptible to providing inferior guidance and shoddy plans.
Fricke added, "I think the most important component with AI vs. a travel advisor is to remember AI is a computer. An advisor is a person focusing on you as a client."