The Arrival of Autonomous Taxis & Travel Tech Troubles with Jen Campbell, Ben Wiggins & Charis Marr - Episode 26
Travel technology is bringing the world closer together, but are we ready for it?
While virtual influencers and autonomous taxis encourage us to embrace the world around us, we’re also hampered by the Instagram vs Reality disconnect and over-reliance on tech to solve our climate issues.
We’re tackling all things travel on Disconnected this week, hosted in Jag’s absence by Jen Campbell, joined by Ben Wiggins and Charis Marr.
This episode of Disconnected covers:
Whether driverless cars are truly ready for global use
Essential tech emerging in the travel sector
The uptake of tracking technology in travel baggage
Over-reliance on innovation to solve climate change
Social media’s influence on travellers
Virtual citizens and AI influencers
Episode Highlights:
“There's a pledge by one of the Sheikhs in the UAE to convert 25% of total transportation in Dubai to self driving trips in the next eight years, and driverless taxis are step one in getting there. ” - 5:30 - Jen Campbell
“Living over in the UAE myself, I think most people would agree that UAE roads are pretty hairy. The driving is erratic, at best, so I would want to have complete confidence that these autonomous vehicles would be able to cope with the unexpected.” - 6:30 - Charis Marr
“In the EU, they are attempting to have zero road deaths by 2050, and key to that strategy is autonomous cars, because apparently human error is estimated to be involved in 95% of vehicle accidents. So it's probably an interesting shift in that narrative that needs to happen before there will be a tipping point.” - 11:00 - Charis Marr
“Does adding a tracker give you greater control or is it just perceived greater control and might actually lead to more frustration, because you can see where your bags are and can do little about it.” - 14:25 - Charis Marr
“Most of our solutions in Hong Kong are tech-based; it’s aircon and nipping into a 7-Eleven when you're walking on the streets to cool down. Have we reached a bit of a crisis point where we can't just rely on innovation, innovation, innovation? Do we need to look at the past for inspiration?” - 22:05 - Ben Wiggins
“Over 52% of travellers decided to visit a specific destination after seeing an image or video from friends, family, peers or influencers on social media. But what happens when these Immaculate places don't live up to those expectations? ” - 29:45 - Charis Marr
“Maybe the opportunity is that now, if you do your research properly, you can genuinely find out what times of year it's best to go, when the crowds are going to be lowest, and try to plan your journey around that.” - 36:40 - Ben Wiggins
“A study at the end of last year found that 12% of consumers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam found virtual influencers more credible than human influencers. That surprised me - why would you think a virtual influencer made by the brand or location you're visiting is more credible than a human who has their own opinions?” - 39:10 - Jen Campbell
Links & references:
Ben Wiggins:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bewiggins/
Jen Campbell:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-m-campbell/
Charis Marr:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charismarr/