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Even with glitches, planning your next trip with AI is making me rethink travel

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Even with glitches, planning your next trip with AI is making me rethink travel

With vacation planning, most people fall into two camps: those who love planning and those who hate it.

Artificial intelligence tools like GuideGeek, developed by Matador Network and accessible via Meta’s Messenger app, offer a glimpse into a future where vacation planning is as simple as sending a text.

Yet, as we lean into this new era, it’s clear that these amazingly powerful tools come with their own set of quirks.

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Man walking through airport with passport in his hand (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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AI travel ‘hallucinations’ can derail a trip

Take, for instance, the phenomenon known as “AI hallucinations.” These occur when the AI, attempting to fill gaps in its knowledge, invents answers. A classic example unfolded when an AI-powered assistant was asked about travel details for “Crete Freeze” instead of “Crete, Greece”. Instead of clarifying the query, the AI crafted a detailed story about a non-existent ice cream parlor in Pittsburgh. While creative, such responses aren’t particularly useful when you’re trying to plan an actual trip.

A couple on vacation (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: 5 GREAT TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR NEXT TRAVEL GETAWAY

When tiny missed details turn into big trouble

This isn’t an isolated incident. Across the travel industry, AI tools have mistakenly concocted false job histories and even non-existent travel destinations. This tendency can lead to significant travel planning errors, such as suggesting routes that don’t exist or accommodations that are the stuff of fiction.

Why does this happen? AI systems, particularly those based on generative models, strive to provide answers for every query. In doing so, they sometimes create plausible but incorrect information. While these errors are often corrected quickly, they highlight an important aspect of using AI in travel planning: verification is key.

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Family at the beach (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Embracing the new AI travel planning experiment

Matador Network has taken steps to mitigate these errors by introducing stringent checks and balances for GuideGeek. They’ve reduced the occurrence of hallucinations significantly, from a startling 14% down to a more manageable 2%. They achieved this by enhancing the AI’s training and integrating real-time data from reliable sources like Skyscanner and Expedia.

Despite these improvements, the responsibility ultimately falls on the travel planner to double-check all AI-generated plans. When using AI tools like GuideGeek, it’s prudent to verify the details of your itinerary as you would with a travel agent. Check flight schedules, hotel bookings and travel routes against trusted sources.

A family at the beach (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

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Verify any travel plans, whether from AI or a human expert

Incorporating AI into travel planning requires a balanced approach. While these tools can efficiently handle vast amounts of data and provide quick responses, their current propensity for errors cannot be overlooked. People should approach AI-generated travel plans with a healthy dose of both excitement and skepticism, reviewing and confirming details to avoid potential pitfalls.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Dad and daughter at the beach (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

AI trip planning can open doors you never knew to knock on

The process of integrating AI into travel planning is undoubtedly exciting, and it promises a more streamlined and accessible future for travelers.

Matador Network CEO Ross Borden points to the benefits of AI travel planning, saying, “We all know that typical experience of booking travel online – you’ve got 30 browser tabs open and a headache. GuideGeek is a travel genius that makes creating detailed travel plans much faster and more personalized. As the AI learns about you, the recommendations get more tailored to your interests and how you travel.”

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I checked AI on one of my favorite Hawaiian destinations for trip-planning ideas known mostly by the locals and deeply entrenched experts. AI was able to identify a really fun area to hike in Kaua’i, along with the little-known secret of how to find parking nearby. I seldom see tourists there, and AI is about to change that. What it didn’t know to tell me is what happens if a common rain shower interrupts the hike, turning the elevated trail into a treacherous trench of mud – something a local or expert may have warned you about.

GuideGeek website (GuideGeek)

MORE: THE BEST TRAVEL GEAR FOR 2024

How to plan travel with AI using GuideGeek

Unlike other travel guides, if you have Instagram, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, you do not need to download a separate app to use GuideGeek. All you need to do is go to the main GuideGeek website. In the app you likely have already downloaded, you can either click the link or scan the QR code, which will launch GuideGeek on your designated app.

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GuideGeek screens on Instagram (GuideGeek)

MORE: 5 GREAT TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR NEXT TRAVEL GETAWAY

Chat with GuideGeek: Your personal, nonhuman AI travel assistant on Instagram

For instance, if you click “Open on Instagram,” GuideGeek will begin a direct message on the Instagram account you have on your device. You can ask any sort of travel question, and it’ll respond with an answer as a message.

The best part is that once you have opened it, you can continue to dialogue with GuideGeek for other areas of your travel needs – just don’t delete the chat window with GuideGeek. Of course, if you do, it is just as easy to restart another message with GuideGeek.

GuideGeek AI on Facebook (GuideGeek)

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Planning travel with GuideGeek vs Google

What’s the difference between using GuideGeek instead of googling your questions? Targeted answers, so you’re not digging around many websites for that one piece of travel information you’re looking for. Additionally, the use of the Matador Network is hooking you up with an established online travel publication located in San Francisco with ​​more than 80 million monthly visitors and 16 million social media followers.

Kurt’s key takeaways

With so much travel information online, it can be difficult to parse through all the data. And sometimes, too much information can actually create decision fatigue. Instead of trying to cobble together an itinerary from your neighbors, family, friends and the internet, you can use AI to pull together an exciting trip – just be sure to check each little detail for accuracy before packing your bags.

Have you utilized AI to help start or finish travel planning? If you could have a travel agent available on demand, would you use it? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

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Use this map to find the data centers in your backyard

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Use this map to find the data centers in your backyard

When Oregon resident Isabelle Reksopuro heard Google was gobbling up public land to fuel its data centers in her home state, she didn’t initially know what to believe. “There’s a lot of misinformation about data centers,” she said. “Google has denied taking that land.”

Technically, she explains, The Dalles, a city near the Washington state border, sought to reclaim that land, “and Google is just a big, unnamed power user.” The city had in fact asked for ownership of a 150-acre portion of Mount Hood National Forest, claiming it needs access to Mount Hood’s watershed to meet municipal needs as its population — 16,010 as of the 2020 census — grows. But critics, including environmentalists, say the city is trying to secure more water for Google, which has a sprawling data center campus in The Dalles that already consumes about one-third of the city’s water supply.

This controversy made Reksopuro curious about the backlash to data centers being built in other communities. So Reksopuro, a student at the University of Washington who studies the connections between tech and public policy, decided to map it out. Using information collected by Epoch AI and data scraped from legislation on data centers, she built an interactive map tracking AI policy around the world. She designed it to be simple enough for anyone to use. “I wanted it to be something that my younger sisters could play through and explore to understand what are the data centers in the area and what’s actually being done about it,” Reksopuro said. She hoped to shift their opinions that way, “instead of like, through TikTok.”

Four times a day, the map searches for new sources and checks them against the existing database Reksopuro built out. “Once it does that, it will write a new summary, add it to the news feed, and populate it on the sidebar,” she said. “I wanted it to be self-updating, since I’m also a student.”

Reksopuro isn’t against data centers, but she thinks tech giants benefit from a lack of transparency around data center policies. “Right now, it’s this really opaque thing — and all of a sudden, there’s a facility,” she said. “I think that if people knew about data centers beforehand, it would give them leverage. They would be able to negotiate: ask for job training programs, tax revenue, environmental monitoring, things to improve their community.”

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Fox News AI Newsletter: Graduation speaker praises AI, gets instantly booed

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Fox News AI Newsletter: Graduation speaker praises AI, gets instantly booed

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

 

Welcome to Fox News’ Artificial Intelligence newsletter with the latest AI technology advancements.

IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:

– UCF graduates clobber commencement speaker with boos after she says AI is the ‘next Industrial Revolution’

– OPINION: DIRECTOR KASH PATEL: We brought the FBI out of the past and into the AI age

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– OpenAI backs creation of global AI governance body led by the U.S. that would include China as a member

TOUGH CROWD: During a recent commencement ceremony at the University of Central Florida, a speaker was met with loud boos from the graduating class after declaring that artificial intelligence represents the next industrial revolution. Fox News Digital reporting captures this tense cultural moment, illustrating the mixed public sentiment and skepticism surrounding AI’s growing footprint in daily life.

A statue on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. (iStock)

BADGE MEETS BYTE: Reflecting on the modernization of national security in a Fox News op-ed, FBI Director Kash Patel explores how the bureau must adapt its strategies to address modern threats and advance beyond the artificial intelligence age.

TECH DIPLOMACY: OpenAI is throwing its support behind the establishment of a new global artificial intelligence governance organization that would be led by the United States while notably including China as a member. Fox News Digital reporting examines the geopolitical dynamics and regulatory implications of this proposed framework as global powers race to set the standards for AI development.

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EQUITY ELEVATION: The massive wave of wealth generated by the explosive growth of ChatGPT and the broader AI industry is driving a sudden surge in the San Francisco Bay Area’s luxury real estate market. Fox News Digital reporting breaks down how the influx of new tech capital is reshaping local housing dynamics and fueling a high-end property frenzy.

FBI Director Kash Patel listened as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a press conference at the Department of Justice on April 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

STRATEGY RESET: Tech giant Cisco is planning to eliminate thousands of jobs as the company shifts its primary focus to accelerate its artificial intelligence initiatives, a move that comes despite the company beating earnings expectations. Fox News Digital reporting details the corporate restructuring and broader economic trends pushing legacy tech firms to aggressively pivot toward AI.

ROAD HAZARD: Waymo is issuing a sweeping recall of its autonomous vehicle fleet following a concerning incident that highlighted significant safety issues with the self-driving technology. Fox News Digital reporting outlines the specifics of the recall, the nature of the safety flaw, and what this setback means for the future of fully autonomous transportation on public roads.

BOTS IN THE BAY: A newly developed, artificial intelligence-powered robot has been engineered to seamlessly change and balance vehicle tires without human intervention. Fox News Digital reporting showcases this latest innovation, exploring how automation and AI mechanics could soon revolutionize the automotive service and repair industry.

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the 2026 Infrastructure Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 11, 2026. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

 

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Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future with Fox News here.

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Microsoft’s Edge Copilot update uses AI to pull information from across your tabs

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Microsoft’s Edge Copilot update uses AI to pull information from across your tabs

Microsoft Edge is adding a new feature that will allow its Copilot AI chatbot to gather information from all of your open tabs. When you start a conversation with Copilot, you can ask the chatbot questions about what’s in your tabs, compare the products you’re looking at, summarize your open articles, and more.

In its announcement, Microsoft says you can “select which experiences you want or leave off the ones you don’t.” The company is retiring Copilot Mode as well, which could similarly draw information from your tabs but offered some agentic features, like the ability to book a reservation on your behalf. Microsoft has since folded these agentic capabilities into its “Browse with Copilot” tool.

Several other AI features are coming to Edge, including an AI-powered “Study and Learn” mode that can turn the article you’re looking at into a study session or interactive quiz. There’s a new tool that turns your tabs into AI-powered podcasts as well, similar to what you’d find on NotebookLM, and an AI writing assistant that will pop up when you start entering text on a webpage.

You can also give Copilot permission to access your browsing history to provide more “relevant, high-quality answers,” according to Microsoft. Copilot in Edge on desktop and mobile will come with “long-term memory” as well, which can tailor its responses based on your previous conversations. And, when you open up a new tab, you’ll see a redesigned page that combines chat, search, and web navigation, along with the Journeys feature, which uses AI to organize your browsing history into categories that you can revisit.

Meanwhile, an update to Edge’s mobile app will allow you to share your screen with Copilot and talk through the questions about what you’re seeing. Microsoft says you’ll see “clear visual cues” when Copilot is active, “so you know when it’s taking an action, helping, listening, or viewing.”

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