Artificial intelligence in tourism: Social and ethical implications

Disruptive technologies create opportunities to enhance the tourist experience. Companies in this sector face the challenge of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into service quality to meet tourists’ expectations. This study surveys the social and ethical impacts of using AI in tourism and proposes solutions for its ethical and responsible application. It also aims to understand the limits of AI’s autonomy and determine what is desirable for an intelligent system to make decisions involving trip aspects. A qualitative approach was used, with data collected through questionnaires sent to seven Brazilian tourism companies that utilize AI systems. The results indicate positive impacts of AI on internal activities and customer data collection, along with some negative impacts. The study concludes that establishing ethical standards for AI use in tourism is necessary to address privacy, equity, and responsibility in AI system development. These standards are essential to ensure responsible use of AI technologies for the benefit of businesses and tourists.