Train and coach app Trainline has harnessed the power of AI and open data to build a personalised voice alert service that notifies train passengers of service disruptions.
Integrated into the Trainline app and built for the Google Assistant, the service will provide customers with real-time updates for their journeys by utilising data from train operators' Twitter accounts.
Users can also access the information with basic voice commands such as "How is my commute doing?" or "Is this train running on time?".
"Through our voice app, designed to be used on the go, we can now offer customers faster and smarter updates on their journeys, helping them limit the impact of rail disruption," said Dave Slocombe, senior director of product at Trainline.
"By creating an AI that can read information being shared on the train operators Twitter feeds, we were able to overcome a key challenge in collecting data quickly from a variety of different sources. It's another example of how Trainline is harnessing the power of AI, big data and voice tech to make travel a smoother experience for everyone."
Trainline uses AI to analyse the vast amounts of open Twitter data regarding rail disruptions. From there the notification system automatically classifies the importance of the message and then uses a system to calculate which stations the disruption will affect.
After it has gone through this process the AI can automatically match the information to the app users journey in real-time. Trainline say that the voice app will notify users before the data is available through national rail data feeds and the level of detail will show customers the scale of the disruption, how it unfolded and what is being done to fix it.
This is the latest in a string of AI and machine learning projects that Trainline has launched. Recent features such as BusyBot are the results of it's innovate use of data.
It is also indicative of yet another established company embracing the latest in digital and automation technology to either reinvigorate operations or deliver improved customer service.
