Published on the 02/02/2017 | Written by Donovan Jackson
But it is more Kitty Hawk than Cape Canaveral right now…
Air New Zealand enjoys an enviable reputation for being a profitable airline and one which has sharp focus on putting emerging technology to use. It has just announced the introduction of a chatbot called Bravo Oscar Tango, adding to that rep. But poor Oscar, as the Bee Oh Tee is known, still has much to learn – and that’s OK, as the young chap in beta is brand new.
In a statement, the airline said it has ‘made its first foray into the field of AI with the unveiling of the chatbot’. He can be found in the company’s ‘Help & Contact’ section (scroll down half way), and is ready to answer your questions.
Or our questions. A polite young bot, Oscar kicked off the engagement with a greeting and a caution: ‘Kia Ora, I’m Bravo Oscar Tango. But you can call me Oscar. I’m new around here and still earning my ‘wings’ but I’m here to help with questions about flying with Air New Zealand. I’ve studied things like baggage, AirPoints and lounges. I’m learning new things every day. Ask me a question and I’ll do my best to find you an answer!’
We asked Oscar the following: ‘How can I check my AirPoints balance’ and his reply was spot on, providing suitable links and detail on how to do that. ‘Thanks’ we said, ‘You’re welcome’, our man replied.
It is obviously early days for Oscar; he is pretty good with ‘obvious’ questions, but go off piste even a little bit (‘Is there an Air NZ lounge in Tauranga?’ and he gets lost (‘Domestic or International?’ – to which we asked ‘Is there an International terminal in Tauranga?’ and drew a blank. A more direct ‘is there a domestic lounge in Tauranga’ similarly flummoxed Osky.
As a ‘learning’ technology, Oscar does routinely reply with a ‘Looks like I’ve still got some learning to do’, throwing up the spectre of Microsoft’s ‘racist’ Tay, who featured in our recent ‘Chatbots’ feature, and a question of whether or not continued queries might send the bot over to the dark side.
Back to the airline’s statement. ‘Oscar will initially assist customers with commonly asked queries, saving them time and offering a more personalised experience than searching a traditional Frequently Asked Questions section online. As with other AI technology, Oscar will learn based on the conversations people have with him, becoming more user friendly and more helpful the more he interacts,’ it said.
Chief digital officer Avi Golan said introducing a beta product is a new approach. “Getting Oscar out fast and in the early-development stages [means] we can build and co-create with our customers. Given Oscar learns natural language it makes sense he learns directly from our customers the types of information they want to know and the language they use, rather than airline jargon.”
The airline said it has big plans for Oscar, such as integration with its mobile app via voice and text, with other chat platforms and in-home digital assistants.
“Over time we want Oscar to become a virtual travel assistant with the ability to recognise who you are, inform you about your flights, make or change a booking, select seats, check you in, and offer to help sort you a taxi to the airport,” said Golan.
