OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Agent Mode: What It Could Mean for the Travel Industry

OpenAI on Thursday unveiled a new capability for its ChatGPT chatbot called agent mode, and it’s more than just a smarter chatbot.

So what’s new? The agent can now take real action: it can browse the web, run code, analyze files, log into websites with your permission, and deliver full reports or slideshows.

More significantly for travel, it can navigate websites, drag and drop items, use a cursor to click around, add products to carts, and even complete bookings for hotels, tours and flights.

The feature isn’t yet available in most of Europe, and OpenAI hasn’t provided a timeline for when it will be usable there. It isn’t clear if it’s available in other parts of the world, except the U.S. Skift has contacted OpenAI for a clarification.

Access to the new ChatGPT agent is currently only available to paid ChatGPT Plus, Team or Pro subscribers. The price ranges from $20 upwards. Pro already has access, OpenAI said.

“Plus and Team users will get access over the next few days. Enterprise and Education users will get access in the coming weeks. Pro users have 400 messages per month, while other paid users get 40 messages monthly, with additional usage available via flexible credit-based options,” OpenAI said.

OpenAI positions this as a tool for students, small business owners, creatives, professionals and anyone who needs a digital assistant. But it’s especially useful for people buried in admin, research, or scheduling tasks.

It integrates with tools like email and calendars, so it can summarize inboxes or help coordinate meeting times.

In a demo video accompanying the launch, OpenAI shows the agent planning and booking a trip for a wedding.

“In your personal life, you can use it to effortlessly plan and book travel itineraries, design and book entire dinner parties, or find specialists and schedule appointments,” OpenAI said.

The user asks it to not only plan the trip but also select an outfit, check hotel prices and availability on Booking.com, and make the reservation.

This isn’t just theoretical: the agent clicks around like a human would and completes the booking.

OpenAI suggests that travel agents could use the agent to compare packages, update spreadsheets, generate promotional content, or even create newsletters.

The agent can pull in real-time alerts, local events, hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path suggestions, acting like a concierge or planner.

Planning a trip is often a mess of tabs, reviews, flight deals, and itinerary ideas. OpenAI says agent mode tries to cut through that.

Here’s what ChatGPT says it can now do with agent:

Custom Travel Planning: For travelers, you can tell ChatGPT your destination and preferences. It’ll research the best flights, hotels, sights, and even book them, with their approval.

Itinerary Creation: If tourists are looking for a weekend trip or a group tour plan, ChatGPT agent can put together an editable itinerary, complete with maps and bookings.

For example: “Plan a 10-day trip to Japan with a focus on food and temples, staying within a $3,000 budget”

The agent will research everything, but also compare prices, create a day-by-day itinerary, and help book accommodations and activities.

It can take over the internet browser, filter results, prompt users to log in to booking sites, and gather everything they would need.

It can also connect to calendars so it won’t plan anything when people are unavailable. If travelers want to check if a local tour is highly rated and available next Thursday morning? It can handle that too.

It can adapt to preferences over time. So if a traveler loves boutique hotels, hates red-eye flights, or always wants to include a cooking class, it can start to bake those preferences into every plan.

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