Excerpt from PhocusWire
Priceline today unveiled a suite of more than 40 new tools and updates for travel planning and booking, including an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot built on technology from both OpenAI and Google.
“Penny” is the name for the new chatbot that is part of Priceline’s “Trip Intelligence” suite launching today.
Earlier this month Priceline announced it is using Google Cloud’s generative AI technology for its new virtual travel assistant. A company spokesperson said the integration of Google’s technology will be live within a few weeks. For the initial launch today, the bot is integrated with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as well as Priceline’s own coding and prompt engineering.
“Because the Gen AI chatbot technology is so new, we are leveraging multiple technologies (in addition to our own expertise) to create the most robust tool and best experience for our customers,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.
Along with being able to recommend hotels that meet the user’s preferences and to provide 24/7 customer service, Penny is equipped with security features such as credit card tokenization so users can complete a secure booking right within the chat. Other generative AI chatbots that have been launched by online travel agencies, for example the one announced this week from Priceline sister brand Booking.com, provide links that redirect the user to the booking portal in the brand app.
“When it comes to the technology we develop at Priceline, our philosophy is always first and foremost focused on enhancing the booking experience for our customers,” said Kevin Heery, chief product officer at Priceline.
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