Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how we work, live, and travel…
From intuitive chatbots to predictive analytics, AI offers businesses significant efficiencies and raises important questions around data privacy, ethics, and sustainability. At Gray Dawes Travel, we’re embracing AI, but understand that it needs to be done responsibly.
While we see immense potential in using the emerging technology to enhance customer experience and streamline operations, we are equally committed to maintaining the highest standards in how we implement it.
In this article, we explore the negative impact of AI, how we, as an organisation, can mitigate these impacts, and look to the future of the technology and how it might enhance travel.
Understanding the Drawbacks of AI
While AI technology can be leveraged to improve productivity and streamline repetitive tasks, there are several drawbacks which need to be considered when thinking about integrating it into the day-to-day running of an organisation.
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Sustainability
According to MIT’s latest research, generative AI models, such as those powering automated content and chat interfaces, carry a notable environmental footprint. The energy required to train and operate these models can be considerable, especially when deployed at scale.
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Privacy
Concerns around privacy, as highlighted in recent insights from Proton, emphasise the need for transparency and accountability when using AI to process user data. Not all AI models, especially third-party tools, guarantee secure or private handling of sensitive information.
Committing to Ethical, Secure & Sustainable AI Practices
Gray Dawes has developed a clear and comprehensive AI Policy to guide our approach. Here’s how we ensure that our use of AI supports both innovation and integrity.
1) Purposeful Use
We leverage AI to automate repetitive tasks, extract actionable insights from data, and personalise client interactions. This is all aimed at improving the service we deliver to our customers.
2) Privacy & Compliance
All AI systems must process data securely and in full compliance with EU regulations. We only use AI platforms hosted within the EU to guarantee adherence to GDPR and equivalent frameworks.
3) Human Oversight
No Artificial Intelligence system makes final decisions in isolation. Whether it’s a booking query or operational recommendation, there’s always a human expert reviewing the outcome.
4) Ethical Design
Our Artificial Intelligence systems are reviewed for fairness and non-discrimination. We are committed to eliminating bias and ensuring inclusive outcomes for all users.
5) Transparent Partnerships
We maintain a detailed registry of all AI-enabled third-party tools we use, ensuring they meet our rigorous standards for security, ethics, and data governance.
We spoke to Sophie Taylor, our Chief Technical Officer (CTO), about Gray Dawes’ approach to AI technology.
“As a technical innovator and leader within travel, Gray Dawes look to leverage AI to bring efficiencies and help ensure we deliver value to our clients. We strive to bring a balanced approach to the technology and are mindful of model bias and data privacy challenges. That’s why data security and ethical use is paramount.”
“We mainly use AI to enhance operational efficiency, improve customer service, and drive innovation. This includes automating routine tasks, analysing large datasets and improving data quality. We comply with EU data protection and regulations, are committed to ethical AI use, and ensure we have the highest level of security, including encryption, access control, and human oversight of AI.
“We are committed to maintaining human interaction with our clients, whether that be through email, WhatsApp, or telephone. We do not use any automated AI responses in our communications as we believe that the personal, human touch is still as valuable as it always has been.”
EXPERT INSIGHT | Moving Forward
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DATA SCIENCE ENGINEER
“I think people are a little bit scared of AI. I hear discussions about how technology is going to take jobs from non-technical people. But it’s not like that.”
We recently caught up with Karan Pandya, Data Science Engineer at Gray Dawes Travel, to talk all about technology, including his opinions on the development of machine learning and AI in the business travel industry.
Looking Ahead to the Future of AI in Travel
The promise of AI in business travel lies not only in speed and convenience but in making smarter and more sustainable choices. As we evaluate new AI capabilities, we also need to consider their environmental impact and look for greener alternatives wherever possible.
We believe technology should enhance the traveller experience, not compromise trust or values. At Gray Dawes, our approach to AI is grounded in one principle: travel smarter and more responsibly.
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