The End of Authenticity: How AI-Curated Realities Will Create New Tourism Experiences
?? Peter Syme ??
Strategic Travel & Tourism Advisor | Speaker | Travel Tech Advisor | Podcast Host | Adventure Specialist | Community Building
This is number five, probably my last, in this series on our potential future in travel and tourism. You should only read this after you have read at least a couple of my others, as this will make little sense unless you have. It may make little sense even if you have.
Here are the first four articles
The following is going to seem extreme and possibly a bit crazy. I have focused on the future of the tour and activity sector of the industry, as that is my passion, and added a bit of adventure travel, which has been my love affair for over 40 years.
Before we begin, I want to start with a story to get all you folks daft enough to read this in the right frame of mind. My Granny, that is what we call grandmothers in Scotland, was born in the 1890s. To her, getting in a steel tube and flying between countries would have been beyond comprehension. A box in the corner of the room with films and programs 24/7 would have been verging on magic. A small lump of plastic and metal that everyone could use to communicate with anyone anywhere in the world in multiple formats would have seemed insane.
Remember my Granny when you read this. If you read to the end, I will tell you a funny story about her, the army, and myself. When I say funny, it depends on your perspective on life!
Ten radical future scenarios for the tourism tours and activities sector, focusing on AI as the driving force and incorporating a radical rethink of the underlying business models.
1. AI-Driven Personalised Reality Augmentation
? AI analyses travellers' preferences, past experiences, and real-time biometrics to create hyper-personalised tours. ( We discussed this in more depth in previous articles)
? Smart contact lenses or lightweight AR glasses overlay historical reconstructions, cultural context, and interactive elements onto the real world. ( Using these coming hardware just for the current world is limiting their potential)
? AI tour guides, indistinguishable from humans, adapt their personality and knowledge base to each traveller. ( Inspired by the work I am seeing from various builders in the sectors and robotics)
? Pricing model shifts to a subscription-based 'reality augmentation as a service', with tiered access to different levels of immersion and exclusivity. ( Blending of leisure and tourism allows for new types of business models and pricing)
2. Neuro-Linked Collective Experience Hubs
? Brain-computer interfaces allow tourists to link minds and share sensory experiences in real time. ( I bet you are all thinking now about who you would like to link your minds to and who you would not!)
? AI curates and moderates these shared experiences, ensuring safety and maximising group enjoyment. (I'm not sure if this is you using AI or if AI is using and abusing you.)
? Physical travel becomes optional; people can 'visit' locations through the eyes and senses of on-site participants. ( I so want this to happen, not because I want to restrict travel; I want to open it up to those who cannot travel)
? Revenue is generated through a mix of physical and virtual participation fees, with AI dynamically adjusting prices based on demand and uniqueness of experiences.
3. Time-Shifted Tourism
? Advanced AI simulations recreate historical periods with unprecedented accuracy. (I would get addicted to this)
? Tourists enter immersive pods where they experience life in different eras, from ancient civilisations to possible futures. ( Museums will never be the same again)
? AI adapts the experience in real-time, allowing tourists to interact with and potentially alter historical events. ( Immersive Education )
? Monetisation occurs through 'time credits', with rarer or more significant historical moments commanding premium prices.
4. AI-Orchestrated Adventure Synthesis
? AI systems analyse global data streams to identify unique, fleeting phenomena (natural events, cultural happenings, etc.).
? Autonomous vehicles and robotics are deployed to construct pop-up experiences around these phenomena rapidly.
? Travellers subscribe to 'adventure feeds', receiving AI-curated invitations to one-of-a-kind experiences worldwide.
? Pricing is dynamic, based on the rarity and desirability of each synthesised adventure.
5. Quantum Tourism in Parallel Realities
? Quantum AI leverages the many-worlds interpretation to allow tourists to explore alternate versions of destinations.
? Travellers experience 'what-if' scenarios of places, such as London, if it were founded by a different culture.
? AI guides help tourists navigate the complexities of parallel realities and maintain psychological well-being. (If you have read this far, you may wonder about mine.)
? A new economic model emerges based on 'reality tokens', with tourists paying to unlock and explore increasingly divergent parallel worlds.
Okay, I got you all warmed up now. Let's see if we can blow your mind.
领英推荐
6. AI-Curated Multiverse Expeditions
? AI systems tap into theoretical physics to create simulated 'multiverses' for exploration.
? Tourists embark on journeys across multiple parallel universes, experiencing radically different versions of Earth.
? AI guides ensure narrative coherence and manage the psychological impact of multiverse travel.
? Revenue model based on 'dimensional depth' - the more divergent the universes explored, the higher the cost.
7. Swarm Intelligence Eco-Adventures
? Tourists' consciousnesses are temporarily transferred into swarms of nanobots.
? AI coordinates these swarms, allowing travellers to experience environments from entirely new perspectives.
? Explore coral reefs as a school of fish, soar through canyons as a flock of birds, or traverse the rainforest canopy as a colony of ants.
? Pricing structure based on the complexity of the swarm intelligence and the rarity of the ecosystem being explored.
8. AI-Powered Empathy Tourism
When empathy levels were dished out, I was last in line, but apparently, it is essential these days, so here we go.
? Advanced AI analyses and replicates the emotional states and life experiences of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
? Tourists undergo temporary neurological recalibration to experience life through the eyes of others.
? Range from experiencing daily life as a person from a different culture to understanding the challenges marginalised groups face.
? Monetisation through an 'empathy credit' system, with funds partially redistributed to communities being experienced.
9. Quantum Entanglement Expeditions
? Utilising quantum entanglement , AI facilitates instantaneous 'teleportation' of sensory experiences across vast distances.
? Tourists can simultaneously experience multiple global events or locations in real time.
? AI curates and synchronises these experiences for maximum impact and coherence.
? The business model is based on the number and exclusivity of entangled experiences, with premium packages offering more simultaneous connections.
10. AI-Orchestrated Temporal Mesh Networks
? AI creates a 'temporal mesh' - a network of experiences spanning past, present, and potential futures.
? Tourists navigate this mesh, experiencing how actions in one time period ripple through to others. ( The law of unintended consequences revealed)
? Engage with AI-simulated historical figures or future projections, making decisions that alter the temporal landscape.
? Revenue generated through a complex 'temporal impact' pricing model, where changes to the timeline are monetised based on their significance and reach.
If you have read this far, thank you. If you would like me to discuss any of the above ten potential future experiences, just ask.
Remember my Granny, with whom we set the scene at the start of this article? Below is how I found out about her death.
I was a young soldier testing my brain and body on Para selection in Aldershot in 1983. It was late evening, and the Guard Commander, the boss of the group of soldiers guarding the camp that evening, crashed through our accommodation room door. We all stood to attention at the side of our beds. He ordered the room to ." Stick your hand up if you have a grandmother" Everyone raised a hand. "Who is called Syme?" he asked. I barked out, "Corporal." "What are you doing with your hand in the air?"
Different times, different rules.
Pete
Strategic Travel & Tourism Advisor | Speaker | Travel Tech Advisor | Podcast Host | Adventure Specialist | Community Building
4 个月Relevant to this article is https://x.com/tsarnick/status/1811191443786240488
Helping founders in experiential hospitality worldwide to secure investor interest and position them for launch or expansion | Brand | Investor Presentation | Resort Touchpoints | Consulting
4 个月Wow, that was quite the journey. I can see that there would have to be a number of breakthroughs with some of these concepts in order for them to become a reality. AI coupled with AR isn't a big stretch of the imagination but quantum entangled and multiverse experiences would need a deal more work. :)
Online travel: board member, occasional investor.
4 个月"Quantum Entanglement Expeditions" -- brilliant. Is there a dress code?
Consider the poor startups! If you are an incumbent, and its clear this is coming down the track (and it really IS clear) you just have to do the obvious, so you are not out flanked by your incumbent peers. Startups however have to see this coming and go, right, whats the non-obvious thing to do.