United Airlines said Wednesday it will ban #Artificial Intelligence agents and assistants from booking its flights, following similar bans by banks and retailers that cited privacy concerns. #Travel Junkie #Digital Wellness š±š§
The ban covers bookings made directly on Unitedās app and website as well as through travel agencies and aggregators. The airline said it is updating its booking, ticketing and distribution policies as well as its help page for customers willing to protect their personal information.
The airline said AI assistants with access to customer accounts can expose sensitive information and can make purchases or account changes that customers didnāt intend. Automated actions could also violate Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation rules, such as requiring that a person confirms their bags donāt contain banned substances when checking-in, United said.
Other industries, such as banking, have also turned against agents. On its third-quarter earnings call in October, JPMorgan Chase said it is blocking outside agents such as Muse and Instinct from client accounts, citing risks to clients and the bank. Wells Fargo said it could restrict some AI tools and changed its terms so customers are responsible for their agentsā actions. Amazon blocked Muse from shopping on its site in September, citing privacy and security risks.
Booking travel has been a big part of how Muse and Instinct sell themselves. Meta positioned Muse around taking busywork off usersā plates and listed āresearching and booking a tripā first among its examples. Instinct, whose valuation jumped from $2.5 billion to about $10 billion in talks within a month, asks users for their card details and passwords so it can shop or book travel for them. Representatives for Muse and Instinct didnāt respond to requests for comment.
https://united.mediaroom...
