Bard is going back to bootcamp
It’s back to boot camp for Bard, Google’s experimental chatbot that is set to challenge Microsoft-backed ChatGPT.
The search engine has artificial intelligence features that offer summaries of complex information but prior to the start of private testing with a small group of outsiders, Bard provided inaccurate information in a company advertisement.
As a result, shares of Google parent Alphabet plunged 7.4% this week – losing the equivalent of US$100bn in market value.
For the record, Bard was asked, “What new discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope can I tell my nine-year-old about?”
The chatbot responded with a claim that the JWST was “used to take the very first pictures of a planet outside the Earth’s solar system”.
Not so, Twitter users quickly pointed out, accurately claiming the first pictures of so-called “exoplanets” were taken by the European Southern Observatory’s Large Telescope in 2004.
Trivago tests direct bookings
Interesting news from Trivago this week. Phocuswire says he company is testing hotel direct bookings as part of its growth strategy originally announced last year.
The company says it believes direct access to hotels combined with its existing comparison of rates from online travel agencies is its “biggest opportunity”.
In a letter to shareholders, Trivago says, “We believe this will benefit travellers by providing them with better rates, more personalised offers and direct communication with the service provider, while hotels will appreciate owning the customer relationship, tailoring their offerings and increasing the revenue they can generate per customer.”
Trivago adds that directly bookable rates are available for properties that “attract 50% of click-outs, an increase from 38% prior to the test. We expect to reach 80% by year-end. With the increase in coverage, our front-end teams can launch new features that leverage the direct access to the hotel and better rates, and we expect to be able to actively promote these features by the beginning of 2024”.
The company also says that the “value of metasearch has increased” in the current environment with consumers looking to compare hotel offers and/or search for cheaper destinations to offset the impact of higher rates.
Trivago’s revenue increased €16 million (US$17.7m) to €105 million for the three months ending December 31.
Source: Phocuswire
Qatar bags a first for Middle East Airlines
Qatar Airways is the first Middle Eastern airline to introduce electronic bag tags.
BAGTAG’s electronic bag tags are designed to replace traditional non- recyclable paper tags. The reusable electronic device with functional e- paper can be prepared and attached to baggage by travellers at home.
After checking in for their flight via the Qatar Airways mobile app, passengers can proceed with digitally labelling their bags. The baggage can then be dropped off at one of the designated areas at the airport,
Software for the branded Qatar Airways hardware was coordinated in cooperation with long-term BAGTAG partner, Amadeus.
It is available at selected Qatar Duty Free shops at Hamad International Airport.
Help for hoteliers from Shiji
Shiji Group, the hospitality technology innovator, has published a new version of its Hospitality Technology Distribution Infographic, which has been designed to assist hoteliers, revenue managers and IT teams in visualising their existing distribution technology landscape and outlining the strategies and technologies they want to introduce over the coming years.
Updated, fully customisable, and capable of being edited using PowerPoint, automation is the big theme of the new version.
Greg Bergman, COO Shiji Distribution Solutions, said the graphic was more significant than ever “since the first thing hotel brands should do after a crisis is boost distribution, which enhances brand exposure”.
Kindred spirits share their homes
Tales of bad Airbnb and other home swapping experiences are not uncommon.
Now, home-swapping network Kindred is putting a dating app’s matching technology to work for its members. The start-up has acquired dating app Mango and hired its founder, Bryan Li.
San Francisco-based Kindred says it will use Mango’s proprietary technology to expand its matching capabilities for home swaps.
Unlike on vacation rental platforms, all Kindred members must host their own home so “everyone has skin in the game,” according to the start-up. Also, there is no financial exchange between guest and host.
Source: Phocuswire
