Opinion paper: The Ethics of AI in the Age of Hypertourism

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly present in the hospitality industry. While on the one hand it is explicitly used to automate or improve the efficiency of tourism services, through robotics and chatbots, on the other hand it is crucial to increase sales margins on the web. In particular, AI-driven marketing becomes the main tool in the construction of each tourist’s imagination in the preparatory phase (before choosing the destination) and in the reflective phase (after returning from the trip). Inspired by literature from other industries, this research aims to predict what the ethical risks of using AI in tourism might be. Two main risks can be identified: the creation of a monothematic imagery of the tourist and the risk of radicalisation of tourism destinations.