Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Want an AI Copilot to Help Book Travel

Consumers are weighing the pros and cons of artificial intelligence (AI) in their lives.

Although they worry about losing human interactions, privacy and even their jobs to the technology, they appreciate the convenience, time savings and productivity gains that AI offers.

As a result, consumers today are engaging with AI-related experiences more frequently than before. As noted in the PYMNTS Intelligence report “Consumer Interest in Artificial Intelligence,” consumers interact with about five AI-enabled technologies every week on average, including browsing the web, using navigation apps, and reviewing online product recommendations.

The study, which surveyed more than 2,300 U.S. consumers to better understand their evolving perceptions regarding AI in their daily lives and work, also showed that when it comes to entertainment, a share of consumers is particularly interested in the benefits that AI brings.

Nearly half of consumers express at least some interest in AI-enhanced entertainment such as movies and video games featuring computer-generated imagery (CGI), with Generation Z showing the greatest interest. This is despite some concern within the entertainment industry that generative AI could potentially replace certain roles, such as scriptwriting.

Communication is another area where consumers show interest in AI-enabled services, with predictive text and transcription being examples of how AI is streamlining and enhancing interactions on communication platforms. Approximately 45% of consumers express interest in AI-enhanced communication, and here too, Gen Z shows higher levels of interest.

Shopping has also greatly benefited from AI, with personalized recommendations and feature comparisons becoming more accurate and efficient. As evidence of the growing trend, Swedish payments company Klarna this month debuted an AI-powered shopping tool developed in collaboration with OpenAI that makes items available for purchase on the Klarna app seconds after customers take a photo of the merchandise.

Per the data, 60% of Gen Z consumers show interest in this type of AI-enhanced shopping, along with 44% of consumers across all generations.

Finally, consumers show keen interest in AI involvement in their traveling, as evidenced by the increase in digital travel-planning tools helping to craft personalized travel itineraries and generative AI chatbots assisting in flight bookings in several languages, which all create smoother and more personalized experiences for travelers.

Overall, 66% of consumers have at least a slight interest in AI-enabled forms of entertainment, 65% each in AI-enabled communication and shopping and nearly 63% in AI-enabled travel.