Experts at a national symposium in Shillong advocate for Artificial Intelligence as a supportive tool in tourism planning and service delivery, stressing the critical need to preserve human judgment, local knowledge, and cultural values while developing ethical AI policies for sustainable tourism.
Key Points
- Artificial Intelligence in tourism must serve as a supportive tool, enhancing planning and service delivery without replacing human judgement, local knowledge, or cultural values.
- Meghalaya needs comprehensive AI-driven tourism policies that address ethical concerns, safeguard livelihoods, prevent cultural commodification, and ensure data ownership.
- Human oversight and robust safeguards are essential for AI integration in tourism, guaranteeing human intervention and control even if technology fails.
- Digitalisation can aid in preserving and documenting cultural heritage, while addressing skill gaps in the tourism and hospitality sector is crucial for a technology-driven future.
- Sustainable and authentic tourism approaches, prioritising community engagement, local traditions, and the long-term interests of the people, are vital for regions like Meghalaya.
Artificial intelligence should be used as a tool to support tourism planning and service delivery but must not replace human judgement, local knowledge and cultural values, experts said at a national symposium here.
Crafting Ethical AI Tourism Policies
Aiban Swer, Director of Meghalaya Institute of Governance, said AI-driven tourism policies must ensure that technology supports planning and decision-making without replacing human judgement, while also safeguarding culture, livelihoods and data.
“Policies must see to it that AI does not give judgement but must be used for planning,” Swer said while speaking on Monday on “AI-driven Tourism Governance and Policy Frameworks” at the symposium organised by the Department of Sociology at Synod College.
Swer said policies should also ensure that “humans can take over even if the technology fails”, stressing the need for human oversight and safeguards as AI becomes increasingly integrated into tourism.
He identified technological innovation, smart decision-making, inclusivity and accessibility, sustainability and global branding as key areas that need to be considered while developing AI-driven tourism policies.
He also underlined the potential of AI and digital technologies in preserving Meghalaya’s culture and heritage, while cautioning that governance mechanisms must address ethical and security concerns.
Drawing a comparison with the European Union’s efforts to regulate technology and AI applications, Swer said Meghalaya should also develop appropriate regulatory mechanisms to address emerging challenges.
He said the state’s Autonomous District Councils could play a role in regulating the use of AI and technology, particularly in ensuring that local communities and their cultural interests are protected.
Swer identified algorithmic bias, cultural commodification, livelihood displacement and data ownership as some of the issues that policy frameworks would need to address.
Preserving Culture And Human Values In AI Tourism
“If AI is a tool, humanity must remain the compass,” said Dr E B Majaw of the Department of Education, Synod College.
Prof Desmond L Kharmawphlang of the Department of Cultural and Creative Studies, North-Eastern Hill University, who presented a paper titled “Cultural Capital, Tourism and AI”, stressed the importance of building systems that promote peace, sustainability, fairness and tolerance.
“Culture can play a role in creating such a system,” Kharmawphlang said, adding that culture is rooted in participatory decision-making and should be an important driver of sustainable development.
He stressed the importance of preserving and documenting culture and said digitalisation could help safeguard cultural heritage, citing the PARADISEC catalogue as an example.
Bridging Skill Gaps For A Tech-Driven Tourism Sector
Vikas Tembhare, Founder and Managing Partner of DTORR, highlighted the growing skill gap in the tourism and hospitality sector and the need for professionals to develop capabilities beyond technical skills.
He said the changing expectations of the industry required tourism professionals to be multi-skilled in communication, teamwork, conflict handling, adaptability and ethics.
Tembhare called for stronger industry-academia collaboration to develop a holistic approach to professional training and prepare workers for a technology-driven tourism sector.
Diverse Perspectives On AI’s Role In Tourism
The symposium, titled “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”, brought together academic scholars, industry experts and government officials to discuss the transformative potential and ethical implications of AI in tourism.
In another session, chaired by Editor of The Shillong Times Patricia Mukhim, Dr Benjamin F Lyngdoh discussed “AI-Driven Hospitality: Personalization and Smart Service Delivery”.
Lyngdoh highlighted the potential and challenges of AI in tourism, including aggressive digital marketing, misleading AI-generated content and the environmental impact of AI. He stressed that Meghalaya needs a tourism approach based on sustainability, authenticity and the long-term interests of its people.
Dr Pynshailang Syiemiong, drawing on his experience in caving and adventure tourism, said AI and technologies such as GPS should assist rather than replace human judgement and local knowledge. He also highlighted community engagement, respect for local traditions, use of local resources and training locals in wilderness and conservation practices.
Richieson Warjri, who presented on “AI Integration in IT Infrastructure for Tourism”, discussed applications of machine learning, generative AI, natural language processing, computer vision, predictive analytics and recommendation systems in tourism.
The symposium also featured discussions on community-based tourism, legal frameworks for ethical AI, predictive tools for adventure and eco-tourism, cybersecurity, preservation of intangible cultural heritage and integration of indigenous knowledge with cultural tourism.
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