I see that some of the retail stores are expanding their self-check operations and cutting back their human cashiers. I’ve heard that some of the big stores are moving toward being exclusively self-check.
“It will all be self-check soon, my friend, we are old fossils,” said a friend whose opinion I respect. Maybe he is right. I hope not.
One area, however, where I don’t expect automated customer service to take over is travel. I think people who travel are driven by purposes in opposition to the trend toward increased automation and digitization of everything. People who travel want to interact with other people. They don’t want to live in a world devoid of human beings. If that was what they wanted, it would be easier to stay home.
AI and the End of the World
Now we are in the midst of a new AI revolution. With the release of ChatGPT there is a flood of speculation about how AI will take over practically everyone’s jobs. A number of those who have pioneered its development are now suggesting that it may lead to the extinction of human beings. It’s a heyday for hyperbole. Stephen Hawking said AI could be “the worst event in the history of our civilization.”
AI is certainly powerful, and not to be taken lightly. But to the extent that service functions in society are taken over by AI, it will create a need for people to compensate by seeking more hands-on, tangible experiences.
Travel will be one of the ways people do that. I don’t believe that AI will take over the travel world. On the contrary, it will create an opportunity for travel companies to distinguish themselves because they offer products and services with real human service and interaction. That will become even more of a premium. You see that happening now in the catchwords used for selling travel, such as “immersion” and “authentic experiences.”
Travel is one of the antidotes we still have to living in a world that is often so ethereal and abstract that we are in danger of losing our psychological footing. As more areas of life are taken over by artificial intelligence, it will create a greater need to compensate with physical, hands-on experience. Travel is the ideal way to do that. When traveling you are constantly receiving new impressions as you are out there moving through the physical world.
The Human Touch
I almost always go for the human cashier. It’s the most enjoyable moment of the shopping experience for…
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