Think your AI travel assistant has your back? It might be packing rose-colored glasses.
TripAdvisor’s artificial intelligence review summaries are under fire after an investigation found the chatbot appeared to gloss over alarming guest complaints.
This included reports of food poisoning, poor hygiene and even alleged sexual harassment — while painting an overly sunny picture of some vacation spots.
One of the most eyebrow-raising examples involved the Riu Palace Santa Maria in Cape Verde, as originally reported by The Guardian.
There, the AI touted “spotless” accommodations, spacious rooms and restaurants earning “rave reviews.”
The glowing summary stood in stark contrast to numerous guest accounts describing raw chicken, birds and flies around buffet food and one traveler who warned: “This place will destroy holidays.”
The resort’s operator, RIU Hotels & Resorts, defended its practices, as per the outlet, saying: “We operate with the highest standards of professionalism and service, placing hygienic-sanitary safety as our top priority.”
Another AI-generated summary praised a resort in Turkey for its “friendly” service despite guest reviews alleging repeated sexual harassment by male staff.
Rather than highlighting those complaints, the AI referred only to “lapses [in service] noted by a few.”
“The platform has a responsibility to revisit the accuracy of its AI summaries and AI chatbot,” Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, told The Guardian.
“In the meantime, users should scroll past these summaries and look at guest reviews, particularly one-star ratings, and at reviews on other sites, to make sure their next stay is a safe one.”
TripAdvisor said it is reviewing the examples highlighted in the investigation and continues refining the feature.
The company said it is “looking into the examples where reviews did not match the intended property,” adding that it remains “confident these features are delivering exactly what they were designed to do: help travellers quickly understand the breadth of feedback while making it easy to explore the underlying reviews in full.”
TripAdvisor also noted that AI summaries are designed to complement and work alongside — not fully replace — the site’s user reviews, and said its systems automatically suppress AI summaries for listings involving reports of the most serious safety incidents, including death, drugging and sexual assault.
The findings come as more Americans — particularly younger travelers — are increasingly letting artificial intelligence play travel agent.
A Talker Research survey of 2,000 Americans last year found millennials and Gen Z are far more likely than older generations to use AI to plan vacations, from comparing airfare and picking destinations to building entire itineraries complete with sightseeing recommendations.
Only 29% of millennials and 33% of Gen Z respondents said they’d never used AI to help plan a trip, compared to seven in 10 baby boomers who said they’ve never turned to the technology for vacation advice.
But AI hasn’t always been the world’s most reliable travel companion.
The Post previously reported on an influencer couple whose dream trip to Puerto Rico unraveled after they said ChatGPT incorrectly told them they didn’t need any additional travel documents.
After arriving at the airport, they learned they still needed an ESTA travel authorization, causing them to miss their flight.
The couple later went viral on TikTok after documenting the ordeal, with some viewers sympathizing while others argued the chatbot wasn’t entirely to blame because they had asked about visas — not the separate ESTA requirement.
Taken together, the incidents serve as another reminder that while AI can be a helpful starting point, travelers should still double-check important details — whether it’s entry requirements or hotel reviews — before hitting “book now.”
Read the full article here