Skift Take
Priceline is among a handful of companies testing OpenAI's new voice tech. Priceline envisions that its future voicebot will be able to accompany a traveler through an entire trip.
Priceline is the first travel company to say that it’s integrating its AI chatbot with the latest voice tech from OpenAI.
That means users can now interact with Penny by speaking or typing to search for hotels (but not flights or rental cars yet.)
The first version of Penny Voice went live on Tuesday, and more updates are rolling out in the coming weeks and months, the company said.
“With Penny Voice, booking travel will soon be as simple as having a conversation,” Priceline said in a statement. The tool is available on the Priceline website and in its iOS app.
The company first released Penny, powered by generative AI from OpenAI, in June 2023.
Travel executives have been talking about voice search for years, but it hasn't taken off. Even the recent venture from Viator to make bookings through Amazon Alexa was met with skepticism.
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