DENVER — A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool called Colorado Concierge is helping people plan their visit to our state.
Matador Network worked with the Colorado Tourism Office to launch this new chatbot that pops up when users go online.
"We're really excited about working with Colorado because Colorado is one of those places where there's so much in the state, and it's really sometimes hard to figure out where to go because there's all these amazing places, and I think it's going to be really interesting to see as this rolls out, more and more people use it," said Greg Oates, director of AI advocacy for Matador Network.
People can click on the chatbot and type in a question like, "What should I see in Denver?" and the AI tool will list off activities. Oates said the tool changes during the year, and users can be specific about cost, cuisine, and how long the trip will take.
"It's really what's personalized to your interests, and when that happens, when you're able to really customize the conversation and help people navigate through all that information, it's more interesting to them," Oates told Denver7. "And they stay a lot longer on the website, and they explore more pages or more destinations to find out what they really want to do."
Denver7 asked visitors in Larimer Square if they would use this new AI tool. Some said it "might be helpful," while another person said, "I would give that a try, it sounds really easy."
Oates said this tool is helping bring visitors to different cities and drive interests, along with spending.
"There are a lot of places that maybe haven't been as well known. We'll start to get some more exposure," he said. "So I just want to really drive that home that that's one of the best things about AI is that it gives everyone sort of a platform to expand sort of awareness and talk to more people."
Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA, believes this new tool could be used constructively, sharing that some smaller businesses may not appear on the tool.
"Remember that AI is only as good as its data sets; it's pulling data sets from people who talk about things that are already popular," McKinley said. "And what we know about travelers is they ultimately get that best travel experience when they go somewhere off the beaten path, something that's a surprise. I think that's a hidden secret. You really only can find those through word of mouth and from being a good cultural consumer."
Dr. Jangwoo Jo, an assistant professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said AI use is growing in the tourism industry, but users should be cautious as this technology "doesn't know how to answer no or I don't know" and could give false information.
Jo tried using Colorado Concierge to recommend Korean restaurants and found "the recommendation was based on the web search," and had a hard time recommending a multi-generation local spot. He said this is because the AI's efficiency is "all about the data parameter, how much of the data it contains."
For those using the chatbot, Jo recommends getting specific when asking for recommendations so you can find those hidden gems, and to remember you are the one making the decisions.
"I think the launch was very timely, and the way it interacts with the users was very user-friendly because it's conversational, but like I said, those couple of cautions about that AI itself and from the user side cautions," said Jo. "I think it'll only improve in the future, that's all I can say about that.
