NOVEMBER 2017CIOAPPLICATIONSEUROPE.COM8A Hospitality Sector Perspective Looking for a clear definition of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the only conclusion to draw is that such definitions range from describing simple machine analytics, all the way through to sentient robots removing humanity from the very roles that provide people with a sense of purpose. Very few describe the enormous potential this burgeoning technology presents and many proffer a depressing dystopian vision.So what is today's reality and taking a retailers view, what does AI offer us for improving consumer engagement, insight, and business process? Forget fantasies about robotic check-in clerks or digital barmen, hospitality by definition infers a human touch, a level of empathy that machines will not achieve in the foreseeable future. The real opportunity comes from AI's incredible ability to support the restoration of human-to-human interaction. The interaction has been eroded over the last 20 years or so as our world has become more and more online and automated, and where consumers have more choices and are harder to please. It's already possible to track anonymous website usage and infer preferences from online behavior. For example, an immediate search for the children's menu suggests either the user has children to care for or an unusually small appetite!Let's assume it's the former. When they next use the site, we can automatically highlight a new menu or dynamically speed up the route to the children's menu. If in the future, the user decides to register, then a CRM record is automatically created utilising all of that personal preference history, which if CRM systems are used with any degree of intelligence, artificial or otherwise. This allows us to engage with a degree of automation at a more personal level with the individual- subsequently perhaps sending an e-mail with HOW DO WE LEVERAGE THE PROMISE OF THIS HUGE CHANGE CALLED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?MIKE MCMINN, GROUP IT DIRECTOR, MARSTON'S PLCMike McMinnIN MYOPINION
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