4 ms·

Ask HN: GPT Travel Agent

2 points by digitcatphd 4y ago

I am considering building a GPT-based travel agent that can plan super customized travel itineraries for people based on their age, interests, timeline, budgets, and other factors using a simple interface. My concern here is the CaC of travel agents is competitive and also even with guided prompts, it seems like a commodity if not via GPT directly, via (probably) eventually, open source prompts. Any thoughts?

digitcatphd 4y ago
Family of four with two kids ages 10 and 15 with a budget of $5,000 wants to plan a vacation in the US consisting of four days. Prepare an itinerary for them. Day 1: - Fly into New York City - Visit the Empire State Building - Tour Central Park - Visit Times Square - Enjoy a Broadway show Day 2: - Take a day trip to Washington D.C. - Visit the White House - Tour the National Mall - Visit the Smithsonian Museums - Explore the monuments and memorials Day 3: - Drive to Hershey, Pennsylvania - Visit Hershey's Chocolate World - Take a tour of the Hershey's Chocolate Factory - Visit ZooAmerica - Enjoy an amusement park ride Day 4: - Drive to Philadelphia - Tour the Liberty Bell - Visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art - Visit the Reading Terminal Market - Enjoy a river cruise on the Delaware River What hotel should they stay in? The family should stay in the Hampton Inn Manhattan/Times Square South. This hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Manhattan and is within walking distance to many of the attractions and activities they will be visiting. The hotel offers comfortable rooms with all the amenities, complimentary breakfast, and a 24-hour fitness center.
- bfeynman 4y ago
  that is definitely more than $5000 and incredibly vapid response. I don't see how this adds anymore value over online searching, can you ask it for more interesting ,off beaten trail things? since retraining is infeasible, can you maybe maintain prompts that are more easily updated like new cool restaurants and experiences in an area X.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- notahacker 4y ago
  I think this is a pretty good indication of why GPT isn't suitable as a travel agent. Proposes a hotel in central NYC and "day trips" which are 3 or 4 hours each way for 3 out of 4 days rather than seeing less (and arranging a change of hotel and flight out of Dulles if you absolutely must cram DC and Philly in)... (I absolutely think someone will build a good AI travel agent, but it'll be lots of travel APIs hooked up to recommendation engines, possibly with a thin conversational layer on top, not ChatGPT. I guess having a ChatGPT chat window to answer basic questions about destination cities attached to a very standard flight/hotel package booking service might be a nice gimmick though, and much easier to actually build, but you'd need to warn users not to expect too much!)

2 points by digitcatphd 4y ago

digitcatphd 4y ago

Family of four with two kids ages 10 and 15 with a budget of $5,000 wants to plan a vacation in the US consisting of four days. Prepare an itinerary for them. Day 1: - Fly into New York City - Visit the Empire State Building - Tour Central Park - Visit Times Square - Enjoy a Broadway show Day 2: - Take a day trip to Washington D.C. - Visit the White House - Tour the National Mall - Visit the Smithsonian Museums - Explore the monuments and memorials Day 3: - Drive to Hershey, Pennsylvania - Visit Hershey's Chocolate World - Take a tour of the Hershey's Chocolate Factory - Visit ZooAmerica - Enjoy an amusement park ride Day 4: - Drive to Philadelphia - Tour the Liberty Bell - Visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art - Visit the Reading Terminal Market - Enjoy a river cruise on the Delaware River What hotel should they stay in? The family should stay in the Hampton Inn Manhattan/Times Square South. This hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Manhattan and is within walking distance to many of the attractions and activities they will be visiting. The hotel offers comfortable rooms with all the amenities, complimentary breakfast, and a 24-hour fitness center.

bfeynman 4y ago
that is definitely more than $5000 and incredibly vapid response. I don't see how this adds anymore value over online searching, can you ask it for more interesting ,off beaten trail things? since retraining is infeasible, can you maybe maintain prompts that are more easily updated like new cool restaurants and experiences in an area X.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
notahacker 4y ago
I think this is a pretty good indication of why GPT isn't suitable as a travel agent. Proposes a hotel in central NYC and "day trips" which are 3 or 4 hours each way for 3 out of 4 days rather than seeing less (and arranging a change of hotel and flight out of Dulles if you absolutely must cram DC and Philly in)... (I absolutely think someone will build a good AI travel agent, but it'll be lots of travel APIs hooked up to recommendation engines, possibly with a thin conversational layer on top, not ChatGPT. I guess having a ChatGPT chat window to answer basic questions about destination cities attached to a very standard flight/hotel package booking service might be a nice gimmick though, and much easier to actually build, but you'd need to warn users not to expect too much!)