Ask HN: Would you trust an algorithm to make travel reservations for you?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17253191

by garyfirestorm • 8 years ago

1 4 8 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I'm thinking about building an app that takes a users origin and destination [Detroit to Denver] and dates [13 through 19 June] Based on this data, I wish to build an itinerary for users, places that can be explored, based on those places recommended hotels, flights and rentals can be automatically booked. This is a complex idea. I'm wondering if users would trust an app to make all the decisions for them.

panchtatvam• 8 years ago

If it is a recurring itinerary, then yes. Else I want to make my own decisions. I don't like AI.

mlthoughts2018• 8 years ago

I would probably have very little use for such a service unless I was in a situation with highly frequent and regular travel patterns, such as long-distance relationship commuting or business travel — enough to make scheduling a rote chore with rare customization beyond choosing a departure time or checking if a train is cheaper than a plane.

For less frequent, bespoke travel like vacations or holidays, algorithmic assistance would be overkill and get in the way. Plus I would not necessarily want a third-party service aggregating that data about me (and selling it or driving ads with it, of course).

It’s very similar with automated calendar assistants, which I am generally skeptical of. Even if they work with human level accuracy, the times when the slightly lessened cognitive load of offloading to the assistant is better than just dealing with scheduling are too rare.

And if you’re in a high-powered business situation where scheduling is a huge volume of chatter for you, you probably already could afford to pay a human assistant to do it and cost savings to switch to a digital assistant would be round off error.

It’s why the calendar app companies market the products to everyone — as if every employee in a company needs a C-level executive treatment for calendar items — because the only way there is any money in it is to sell big enterprise licenses cover a lot of headcount, yet this is inherently antithetical to the product. Big headcount of staff, almost by definition, don’t spend appreciable time with calendar overhead. (Or else your business is in trouble.)

garyfirestorm2• 8 years ago

Say you want to visit Denver. But you're not from Denver and know nothing about hidden treasures in and around the city. I'd make a list for you 1. See this spot in the city 2. Drive to this waterfall in the Rockies 3. Stay at this place with amazing view 4. Do these trails in the rockies 5. Check out this lake 6. Drive back to Denver 7. Catch this flight

This would be one option I could populate other options. You could create these options for yourself and others. Ability to crowdsource itineraries.

No need to sell your data or show ads. I could make money by taking a dollar here or there when booking your flights or hotel.

Ask HN: Would you trust an algorithm to make travel reservations for you?

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