Helen Hu

No ratings yet.

I have always loved traveling, and whenever I fly back to China to visit my family, I always spend my time with them. But last year I wanted to do something different and make small round trip to Asia, instead of just a family visit. Planning this felt overwhelming and there was a lot to consider, the accommodation, coordinating the flights, visiting the family and the sightseeing, while staying within a tight schedule and budget. This took a lot of research, many comparisons and consideration. So, last year I decided to test ChatGPT as a travel assistant and it changed the way I approached my travel plannings.

ChatGPT helped me analyse complex itineraries and suggest optimized flight routes, while on a budget based on my preferences. Last year, it recommended me starting in Beijing then Hangzhou then flying to Tokyo and finishing in Singapore before returning to China and then heading back home to Amsterdam. The itinerary generated by ChatGPT perfectly fitted with my needs, enough time for sightseeing in Beijing, few days with the family in Hangzhou, and then exploring something new in Japan and Singapore.

It also helped me recommend activities, local cuisine and cultural highlights and help me reduce the time of research and comparing flight tickets. At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the trip, because I didn’t know where to start and if it was feasible. But ChatGPT, helped me generate a personalised itinerary based on my preferences and even suggested practical tips for comfort on long flights. But there are also disadvantages, I still had to book everything myself and the pricings were not always the one ChatGPT recommended, so I still relied on my own search with the pricings, just like the recommendations for hotels.

Overall, using ChatGPT changed my travel planning faster, smarter and more organised. While I still enjoy the spontaneity of discovering places on my own, AI tools make it easier to visualise options and making hard choices. So, do you think that AI travel assistants enhance the way we explore, or do we risk losing the joy of discovery when everything is optimised for efficiency?

No ratings yet.

Scrolling through Instagram, I sometimes notice how some influencers and friends look different in their Instagram posts and stories compared to real life. Smooth skin, perfect make-up, sunglasses and other accessories, all features that can be added with the augmented reality (AR) filters (Javornik, et al., 2021). Bhatt (2020) states that 600 million people use AR filters every month on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram and even 76% of the users of Snapchat uses them every day.

This can be seen as a digital disruption, where emerging technologies rapidly change industries, behaviours and values. AR make up filters can help companies boost their revenues. Dhianita & Rufaidah (2024) explains how consumers become more confident in purchasing by using these filters by providing this virtual experience to try on different make-up products through diverse platforms. It thus increases consumer engagement and sales for many cosmetic brands to feel satisfied and continue to use these services (Bhutt, et al., 2021). These tools lower barriers to experiment and stimulate interactive experiences that you do not have with traditional advertising.

In my opinion, AR filters are empowering and can give easier experience of virtual shopping, but it also creates a new pressure. They encourage creativity and playful self-expression, yet make customers feel like their natural appearance is not adequate. Personally, I like the art of make-up and like to experiment with it, but I still think that natural looks are the best and should be encouraged.

For many companies the implementation with AR filters clearly boosts engagement and targeted advertising and sales on Instagram and other social media platforms. For me personally I still like the personal shopping experience in store and try not to be influenced by these AR filters created by cosmetic brands to buy their product. But I do think it is very handy. How about you, do you give in by these AR filters, does it make you buy more and feel confident in your purchasing?

References

Bhatt, S. (2020, September 23). The big picture in the entire AR-filter craze. The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/internet/brands-see-the-big-picture-in-ar-filter-craze/articleshow/78266655.cms?from=mdr

Butt, A., Ahmad, H., Muzaffar, A., Ali, F., & Shafique, N. (2021). WOW, the make-up AR app is impressive: a comparative study between China and South Korea. Journal of Services Marketing, 36(1), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsm-12-2020-0508

Dhianita, N. S., & Rufaidah, N. P. (2024). The role of virtual Try-On augmented reality of cosmetic products on purchase intention mediated by brand trust. JURNAL MANAJEMEN BISNIS, 11(2), 1111–1123. https://doi.org/10.33096/jmb.v11i2.797

Javornik, A., Marder, B., Barhorst, J. B., McLean, G., Rogers, Y., Marshall, P., & Warlop, L. (2021). ‘What lies behind the filter?’ Uncovering the motivations for using augmented reality (AR) face filters on social media and their effect on well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 128, 107126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107126

Is ChatGPT The Future Of Travel Planning?

6

Please rate this

Instagram Filters: Fun Enhancement Or A Digital Disruption Of Beauty?

18

Please rate this