Cameron Furlong, Host: Many Australians heading overseas now use AI tools to help choose destinations and build their travel itineraries. DFAT, who provide the Smartraveller service, recently researched this. They took a look at what people were doing with AI when they plan their travels and how well it actually works and what are the risks. We're joined this morning by Matt Thistlethwaite, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, who joins me on the line now. Matt, how are you this morning?
Matt Thistlethwaite, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs: I'm well, Cameron. Thanks for having me on.
Furlong: No, thanks so much for joining me. So, what's been happening with AI and overseas travel? It's like it's being used in trip planning more and more. Who uses AI travel planning the most and what do they like about it?
Assistant Minister: Yeah, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade undertook some research in May this year. We surveyed 2,000 Australians aged between 18 and 30 and it found that obviously, young Australians are using artificial intelligence to plan their overseas travel. One in three young Australians used AI when planning that travel. They did that because they believe it saves time, simplifies their planning and helps organise trip details. And they used it for things like creating itineraries, generating destination ideas and managing travel budgets. But obviously there are risks associated with using artificial intelligence. For instance, we've become aware of one Australian traveller who shared on social media that he was stranded in a Chilean airport after ChatGPT incorrectly told him that he didn't need a visa to travel to Chile. So, we're just alerting people to the risks and advising them that the best advice is through the Smartraveller website and young travellers, and indeed all travellers, should check the Smartraveller website before you go overseas.
Furlong: Yeah, right. That's a bit of a mislead, you know, no visa to travel to Chile sounds a little bit unbelievable, but obviously, you know, if it's being told by AI, they're believing it. So, are there other risks involved other than misinformation when people are using AI to plan their trips?
Assistant Minister: Yeah, I think that artificial intelligence scrapes the internet and we obviously know that there's a lot of misinformation on the internet. So, it can give you the wrong information about visas and conditions such as that. It can also give you the wrong information about travelling to particular destinations and there are risks associated with travelling to particular regions. For instance, we've got travel advisories regarding travel to the Middle East at the moment because of the conflict there. Both level three, level four, do not travel advisories for certain countries in those areas. And if someone was to get that wrong based on a search that they'd done on artificial intelligence, then that could have devastating consequences. So, it's okay for people to use AI, and obviously they're going to do that. But we will also suggest that if you're using the internet to plan travel, also go to the Smartraveller website and double check everything that you source through artificial intelligence with the Smartraveller website, because that's the most authoritative and the best source of information for travellers before they go overseas.
Furlong: Yeah. So, just on that, then, Matt. So, what's the best way to use AI for your trip? Obviously, it's great for planning about what comes with those risks. How can they manage, mitigate the risks and take on board the recommendations they're getting from their AI companion?
Assistant Minister: Yeah, so what we found was that 68% of respondents were using Google primarily, then 60% using booking platforms, 50% using airline websites, 44% were using social media and about 30% were using AI. And that's fine to use all of those platforms, but if you're looking at information regarding visas, you're looking at information regarding travel warnings if you want to know the risks associated with travelling to certain countries. Unfortunately, we've had situations of young travellers, travellers who've died overseas because of alcohol poisoning, because of drug taking. Smartraveller has all of that information on those websites about where the greater risks will be in particular countries. So, you can minimise those risks before you go overseas, simply by a couple of clicks on the Smartraveller website.
Furlong: Yeah. And just finally on that then, Matt, so obviously Smartraveller is a really great resource to go, but what other resources are there available on the Smartraveller website that people can find when they go there to verify their travel plans?
Assistant Minister: Yes, Smartraveller has a wealth of information. So, primarily you'll have the travel warnings. There's four levels of travel warnings that we have for people regarding the safety of particular countries, and that's based on the information that we get through our diplomats that are on the ground in these countries and work within their political and social systems. So, there's that information, there's information regarding do's and don'ts when you travel overseas and some helpful tips about. Tips about what you should and shouldn't do in certain scenarios. There's information about visa requirements, particularly if you're transiting through a certain country. There can be information about whether or not you require a transit visa and the costs associated with those visas. And there's also information about safety warnings for particular circumstances that exist in particular countries. For instance, there might be unrest in a particular region within a country. There might be risks associated with drinking alcohol, with bringing prescription medicine into a particular country that may differ. So, all of that information is available on the Smartraveller website.
Furlong: Brilliant. Matt, thank you so much for your time this morning and giving us a bit of insight on the best ways to use AI and also the best ways to verify the travel plans that you make ahead of time so you don't end up in a sticky situation.
Assistant Minister: My pleasure, Cameron, thanks for highlighting a very important issue.