The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology will undoubtedly transform the hotel and travel industries worldwide.
WISE AI co-founder Justin Goh said AI will make the experience better for guests as menial or repetitive jobs can be taken care of by machines.
“Imagine a traveller who frequents the same chain of hotels. He or she can cut down the check-in time if the hotel uses facial recognition,” Goh said.
“Also, not all hotel staff can remember their guests. Facial recognition will help them identify their guests. The hotels can know which chain their guests have checked into. They can then inform the staff at that location the likes and dislikes of the guests, making their stay even more enjoyable.”
Goh added facial recognition technology can also help understand guests’ emotions and help with crowd control and security during events. The use of such technology increases productivity and helps reduce crime.
Goh was recently invited by Taylor’s University to speak at the ‘Rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics in hospitality, tourism and events industry’ forum.
The May 27 event at the university’s campus in Subang Jaya, also saw the participation of three other industry experts – general manager of Holiday Inn Express Kuala Lumpur City Centre Jonathan Lai; co-founder and chief executive officer of Evenesis-Y Yusno Yunos; and Mykris sales director (hospitality division) Mason Lee.
Yusno shared his experience at Alibaba Group’s futuristic hotel in Hangzhou, China, where guests use facial recognition for check-in, elevators and to unlock room doors. Robots serve food and mix drinks at the bar.
Goh, however, was quick to add that artificial intelligence and humans work hand-in-hand.
“Artificial intelligence is just that – artificial. We still need ‘real intelligence’ that is humans, to run the programs.”
Separately, Goh said it was an honour for WISE AI to be included in the discussion panel.
Goh and other WISE AI representatives are no strangers to such events as their expert opinions have been heard at regional conferences. They include Insurance Innovators Indonesia 2019, MoneyLIVE Indonesian 2019 and Big Data & AI Leaders Summit in Jakarta, Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2019, 30th International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition, Malaysia – both in Kuala Lumpur, and Jom Startup! discussion organised by Selangor Information Technology and E-commerce Council (SITEC) in Shah Alam on May 24.
With its headquarters in Singapore, WISE AI has positioned itself as an industry leader in Southeast Asia and is a sought-after entity at conferences and forums.
“We are delighted to have been invited by Taylor’s University to be part of this event. As you know, WISE AI is working closely with many universities as facial recognition has many uses.
“We assist in many research programmes for emotions and personality as well as to keep track of attendance,” he added.
WISE AI is working with Quest International University by helping its students to develop an identification program that will nullify the need to fill in their particulars at examination centres. WISE AI’s facial recognition program is being used to mark the attendance of students at Quest, resulting in a decrease in absenteeism.
WISE AI provides Facial Recognition Experience Pack (FReX), technical support, workshops on AI and AI implementation, student project awards and funding, and research and innovation incentives.
Academics of universities who are interested to know more about WISE AI can contact Audrey Foo at audrey@wiseai.tech while solution providers who would like more information can reach out to Sebrina Heng at sebrinaheng@wiseai.tech.
For more information, visit https://wiseai.tech/
This article is brought to you by WISE AI.
