EasyJet has introduced a new feature to its app that will allow customers to search for flights using voice recognition technology.
The search feature uses AI and Dialogflow, Google Cloud's natural language understanding tool for building conversational experiences, to support voice-based flight queries about destinations, dates and airports.
While typing a search query takes 12 taps, EasyJet said that with the vocal steps in Speak Now it could reduce this process to a few seconds.
Daniel Young, head of digital experience at EasyJet said the airline was aiming to improve the travel experience, including making booking flights more accessible, "especially for those who are visually impaired, and Speak Now helps us achieve this objective."
Is the UK headed towards a voice tech skills shortage? 'Voice-first' strategy will become norm for businesses by 2023 Microsoft will purge Cortana from Windows 10 search box EasyJet passport scanning app to cut down check-in times EasyJet challenges claims it leaked customer data easyJet trials drone safety checks, VR training and 3D printing
"We continue to place innovation at the heart of our industry-leading mobile travel app to give our customers the tools they need to have a smooth experience booking flights with us. Embracing this latest technology makes preparing for travel, easy and fun," he said.
Cormac Reilly, VP & global head of Travel Partners Solutions, who developed the technology for EasyJet at Travelport, said that this would make booking travel "as easy as possible, giving EasyJet customers a helpful digital experience".
"Conversational voice search is a great example of how we're using the latest technologies, including AI and Google Cloud's Dialogflow, to make the experience of buying and managing travel continually better for everyone," he added.
The voice search functionality will be available in English on iOS and follows other advances developed by the airline including a visual search tool using Instagram images (Look&Book), and a cabin bag-sizer tool, which includes augmented reality technology to enable passengers to check the size of their hand-luggage before heading to the airport.
The Speak Now feature will be launched on EasyJet's app in the coming weeks.
-
Bigger salaries, more burnout: Is the CISO role in crisis?In-depth CISOs are more stressed than ever before – but why is this and what can be done?
-
Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
-
Propel four common machine learning use cases into productionWhitepaper How organizations are accelerating the training and deployment of machine learning models at scale
-
17 hidden secrets of the Amazon EchoIn-depth Amazon’s voice assistant can do a lot more than just play music and tell you the weather.
-
Researchers uncover new exploits in voice-powered assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google AssistantNews 'Voice squatting' and 'voice masquerading' are new methods attackers can use to steal users' information
-
How to put Alexa on Raspberry Pi
Tutorials Here's how you can build a home-brew Amazon Echo
-
Satya Nadella: Microsoft will build ethical AINews Microsoft chief says ethics must be taken seriously as AI begins to change society
-
Microsoft buys conversational AI startup Semantic MachinesNews Machine learning firm to make Cortana and Azure Bot Services better at chatting
-
Microsoft wants to make Azure your AI destinationNews Developers get more tools to build AI in the cloud and at the edge, plus Microsoft 365 customisation
-
Intel's Speech Enabling Developer Kit aims to spread Alexa voice control furtherNews The developer kit will make it easier for third party developers to integrate Alexa Voice Service into products
