The Kayak travel search engine has just launched a new feature called AI mode, allowing users to research and plan their trips before booking. With this feature, users can ask questions related to tourism, and compare and book air tickets, hotels or cars through AI chatbot integrated directly on the website.
AI mode is currently available on both the computer and mobile web versions, taking advantage of the ability to integrate with ChatGPT to provide appropriate context-based results. Kayak previously launched Kayak.ai in April - a testing platform for AI features, helping the technical team test before deploying directly on Kayak.com.
Users can ask open-ended questions, such as I want to party on New Years Eve - where should I go? to get suggestions without a specific destination. They can also find out the best time to fly based on ticket prices. This feature is especially useful in the early stages of travel planning, when users are just looking for ideas. However, converting AI users into paying customers still has to wait for the results.
Currently, AI mode is only available in English in the US, but Kayak is expected to expand to other countries and languages later this month. The company will also deploy on more platforms and add voice request support in the near future.
