Julia Luczak-Rougeaux

📈 During a French government-organized AI summit on February 11, experts discussed AI's impact on businesses, ethical concerns, and governance. Anne-Charlotte Philbert from Eurazeo emphasized AI's importance in the 21st century, noting Cognigy automated 70% of Lufthansa's customer support. Jonas Andrulis of Aleph Alpha critiqued the profitability of large language models (LLMs), while Sage CTO Aaron Harris highlighted AI in reducing invoice processing time by two-thirds. Yann Lechelle of Probabl advocated for open-source tech, and Signal's Meredith Whittaker warned about data security and privacy risks.

📱 In Nantes, a roundtable titled "Artificial Intelligence and Tourism: Between Fantasies and Reality" addressed AI's role in tourism, highlighting the upcoming ICIA by Charentes Tourism developed with GENIAL, offering specific activity and event suggestions. AI redefines interactions, with conversational agents providing rapid, personalized responses from various data sources. GENIAL's interactive Advent calendar for VVF generated over 2,000 opt-in emails, surpassing traditional campaigns. Challenges include AI's environmental impact, digital inclusion, and preserving authenticity, as demonstrated by Henn Na Hotel in Tokyo, which reduced its 243 robots due to practical limitations.

🌱 French fintech Green-Got partnered with SNCF Connect to offer 1-2% cashback on train tickets purchased via SNCF Connect with a premium Green Got account starting February 19. Andrea Ganovelli, co-founder of Green-Got, emphasized cash rewards on personal or joint premium accounts, enhancing sustainable choices and adding real value for users. Green-Got, founded in 2020, is committed to fighting climate change by investing user deposits solely in sustainable, ecological projects.

🏠 Clément Eulry, Director for France and Belgium at Airbnb, discusses the challenges of regulation and over-tourism. In Italy and French cities like Paris and Marseille, the use of key boxes is being limited, and physical identity verification is required. Airbnb's platform has 90% occasional rentals, with the majority including in-person welcomes despite the convenience of key boxes. Over 1,000 French cities have requested access to Airbnb data to manage tourism impacts and local housing. In Paris, 99% of postal codes have Airbnb listings, helping disperse tourists and supporting local economies. In April 2023, Airbnb paused the addition of new tourist experiences to focus on immersive offerings. AI is crucial for Airbnb's evolution beyond accommodations. By 2025, Airbnb France aims to support geographic and temporal dispersion of tourism, assisting rural areas, promoting off-peak travel, and initiatives like "Vacances pour tous," which has enabled 2,000 families to travel for the first time, while partnering with organizations like Essentiem for accessible tourism.

🏖️ Poseidon Playa hotel in Spain employs AI to optimize energy consumption. Amadeus uses the "Software Carbon Intensity" protocol to create eco-friendlier digital tools. Startups Orbisk and FullSoon reduce food waste in kitchens via AI. Google Maps suggests fuel-efficient routes, while Safety Line aids Transavia in fuel optimization. In Wolverhampton, UK, traffic light duration is adjusted by AI to reduce pollution. Affluences helps manage tourist flow at Cirque du Fer à Cheval's parking. However, AI's energy usage is a concern, with a ChatGPT query consuming ten times more electricity than a Google search, and data centers like Google's using 12.7 billion liters of fresh water in 2021. The AI Act in Europe aims to regulate AI but lacks clarity on environmental limitations. The upcoming AI summit in Paris may address these regulatory gaps.