The new electricity: let’s talk AI in tourism with Janette Roush & Cody Chomiak

Jason Kirby, a reporter for The Globe and Mail, wrote, “In the fall of ‘22, a remarkable innovation burst onto the scene with the power to reshape the world that has kickstarted the next great productivity boom.”

Kirby pointed out that in less than two years since artificial intelligence (AI) seemed to erupt out of nowhere, its impact on society and the economy has been endlessly analyzed, gamed out, and hyped. One thing is for sure … its transformative potential is almost universally accepted. 

In addition to Kirby’s insight, I think Stanford Professor, Andrew Ng, who is also Chief Scientist at Baidu Research in Silicon Valley, put it best when he referred to AI as the “new electricity” in terms of global impact.

To further unpack AI’s impact, let me introduce you to my guests featured in this episode of the Future of Tourism podcast. 

Janette Roush, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Digital for New York City Tourism + Conventions, has spent more than two decades with industry-leading organizations and modern media agencies.

Cody Chomiak is the Vice President of Marketing for Travel Manitoba. He was formerly Vice President of Industry Engagement for Bandwango and was named one of Destinations International’s “30 under 30” in 2012.

Over the past two years, both Roush and Chomiak have done a magnificent job of demystifying AI for all of us in the travel and tourism industry — making a sometimes overwhelming new technology just a little bit friendlier and easier to approach.

Make no mistake though — while they are charitably helping us to learn how to get on the horse, they understand the incredible impact that the “new electricity” will have on our future. 

We are just getting started.