Airport Experience® News - Retail Innovation Issue 2024

Airports And Concessions Operators Are Cautiously Incorporating AI

BY SARAH BELING

Search engine plug-ins, photo editing services, ChatGPT — artificial intelligence (AI) technology is seemingly everywhere. In a crowded field that often contains not-yet-refined technology, how can AI and augmented reality (AR) tools better serve airport concessions and retail? Industry experts say that the new frontier is brimming with opportunity if airports and concessionaires can learn to rigorously manage data, be willing to experiment and keep the “human touch” at the forefront of their services. “I find, at times, that we’re still conducting business like we did back in the 1960s and 1970s,” says chief innovation officer at the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department Maurice Jenkins of the need for airports and concessionaires to reexamine their current processes and consider artificial intelligence technology.

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AX NEWS SEPTEMBER 2024