Testing an AI prompt to plan a trip to Bali (page 2 of 2)

This is obviously something to take with a grain of salt.

Yeah, gotta be careful ;)

Yeah, but this is redundant (AI + plane) !😉

😄😄😄

You planned a trip to Kyrgyzstan—do you think the responses from the Haute Savoie and Hautes Alpes AIs are reliable? Clever

I just asked it, inspired by Manu’s prompt.

It’s way less sarcastic and much more soothing!

It didn’t suggest anything I didn’t already know, except for a hike near Karakol. But I hadn’t looked into that part of my trip yet.

The route it proposed isn’t mine. It skipped a bunch of places I want to go.

It seemed to think I was a 4x4 newbie—we barely left the beaten path.

It barely knows any addresses in the country.

But at least it didn’t try to drag me to Tajikistan.😉

(And it didn’t criticize me for calling them guesthouses instead of *maisons d’hôtes*…😛)

In your case, I’d suggest sharing a rough draft of your trip and asking it to add a few hidden gems. It’s normal to be unhappy because it doesn’t know you’ve already worked on your itinerary. You’ve got to use the tool for what it is: - A way to create a first draft or - A way to improve an existing idea

And most importantly, don’t forget that it’s through back-and-forth with the AI that it gets "good."

"Try again!" "Try again!" "Try again!" ...

I won’t be around to see how today’s younger generations will experience just how degenerative AI can be...

I’m not entirely convinced...

Generative AI companies are still (largely) operating at a loss, even with paid versions.

Generative AI uses a massive amount of resources for its components (which has already driven up the price of RAM, among other things) and, most importantly, a huge amount of water, which is already causing issues in some U.S. states... and things aren’t likely to improve any time soon

@Murielle and Muriel,

When I was a student, I did my research in the library. I took notes on paper. With a pen! I had a photocopier subscription card. I typed my papers on a typewriter (which was yellow... and loud). The Stone Age! But those were my tools, and I never once imagined that one day I’d be writing on a computer screen and doing research online. Mind you, I have great memories of that time—I don’t envy today’s students. That said, my tools evolved, and I gained a lot in efficiency.

I see that the younger generation joining us works differently. Our students and interns all use AI. It’s integrated into how they work. In fact, it’s become ubiquitous in academia across all disciplines. And we won’t even talk about the research world in general—it’s a full-blown tsunami. You can’t take this technology away from them anymore. It’s too late; it’s embedded in their methodology.

Is it good or bad? I don’t know. It’s dizzying, no doubt about that.

Back to travel, AI seems to have already infiltrated the sector.

In your case, I’d suggest pitching her a rough outline of my trip and asking her to add a few hidden gems.

She can’t—there’s no room left for anything. 😉

And I don’t think she’s great with off-the-beaten-path destinations.

I asked her a question about my 2027 Norway trip, and it was more relevant (even if the result wasn’t the exact itinerary I’m planning).

Plus, if everyone starts asking her for off-the-radar spots and secret stays, they won’t stay secret for long.

---/---

You’ve got to ask her a ton of questions to get a decent result. So you already need to know pretty well what you want.

I don’t really see the point in that case.

The forum’s more useful. Ideas can pop up—things you’d never have thought of.

I see AI being more helpful for very specific, practical requests. Like train schedules from one place to another, what’s the official site to buy a ticket to Pompeii, do I need a visa for X, etc.

Paper guides don’t interest many people anymore (I keep my first Lonely Planet guides for China and Syria in my library, revered like relics). And forums like this one remain a space for travelers who prefer discussion over performance.

Personally, I love buying books, so I buy travel guides that I take with me but barely read...

As for travel forums, I feel they’ve lost a lot of their appeal since COVID. There are fewer participants, and the richness of exchanges and information has suffered (there’s a lot of insider vibes).

AI is being used more and more to plan trips, and not just by 20- or 30-year-olds. In a few years, it’ll be common practice.

As for travel forums, I feel they’ve lost a lot of their appeal since COVID—there are fewer participants, and the richness of discussions and information has really suffered (there’s a lot of insider cliquishness).

Hello,

The sense of insider cliquishness (which I read as negative in your message) is made worse by the lack of participants. But ultimately, I realize that reading 2 or 3 travel journals or getting one solid tip from a member of that so-called insider group is enough to prepare for a trip. The vibe is different, but it’s still enjoyable.

I use AI in my work. Only for a few months now. Objectively, it’s changed my life. When used well, this technology is amazing.

hi! I don’t know what field you work in, but AI platforms should still be used with caution in a professional setting:

Since AI learning software has multiplied in hospitals, medical errors and surgical accidents have done the same.

source 7sur7 Be If it’s for travel recommendations, that’s fine, but in a medical context—yikes. And don’t forget that AI platforms regularly scan traveler reviews for hotels and trips. If those reviews are fake, the AI just repeats fake reviews.

Not just hotel reviews are fake.

All reviews should be taken with a grain of salt... (Restaurants, sites, travel agencies, car rental companies, etc.)

If AI doesn’t have critical thinking, it’s useless.

hey, I don’t know what field you work in, but AI platforms should still be used with caution in a professional setting:

I use AI to cross-reference and synthesize numerical data (like analysis results, for example). It’s been very reliable so far.

Hi there,

Here’s a really informative article about the water consumption of data centers that power the internet and AI. The question is: since our water reserves are limited and quite low in some regions, what’s in store for us in terms of water consumption if we keep going at this rate?

To learn more: https://www.franceinfo.fr/internet/intelligence-artificielle/il-y-a-un-probleme-de-transparence-que-sait-on-de-la-consommation-en-eau-des-data-centers-qui-abreuvent-internet-et-l-ia_7809896.html

No problem: we’ll just draw from the oceans, which won’t rise anymore due to global warming. QED.