Hey Travel Tales listeners. This week, we have an Unpacked episode about ChatGPT and travel.

Would you let ChatGPT plan your trip? Chris Dong, the host of this week’s episode, isn’t sure. As a travel writer, he knows his way around the world—and when we tasked him with writing a piece about the technology, he was initially skeptical about handing over the reins to, well, a robot. 

To get answers, he spoke with Hannah Mieczkowski, an AI expert who holds a Ph.D. degree in human and AI interaction from Stanford University, and Seth Borko, a senior research analyst at Skift and author of an April 2023 report titled “Generative AI’s Impact on Travel.” 

Together, they explained the ways ChatGPT can actually help us now, the things we need to watch for, and what we can expect in the future. As Chris discovered, it’s still murky territory. But there are some benefits—and there’s little chance we’ll be ruled by the robot overlords. 

Meet this week’s guests

Chris Dong, travel writer and episode host

Hannah Mieczkowski, AI expert

Seth Borko, senior research analyst at Skift

Resources

Read this week’s show notes, including a full transcript of the episode.

Read Chris’s companion piece about ChatGPT and travel. 

Try ChatGPT for yourself!