Thailand Partners With Baidu: The Next AI Infection

Attempting to increase tourism in Thailand, the country has signed a letter of intent with Baidu, a Chinese multinational tech company that provides several internet services. In this case, Thailand plans to use Baidu’s digital platforms and artificial intelligence to “enhance Thailand’s tourism brand, promote key campaigns, and attract quality Chinese travellers,” as noted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor, Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool. Thailand is intent on building their tourism scene, evident with the recent Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025 initiative, but their decision to utilise a tech company’s AI to promote tourism raises concerns of how AI will impact the tourism business.

AI is making its way into field after field and worries spread with each sector it enters. While from a customer perspective, the use of AI can be exciting as it can make planning a trip quick and easily customisable, there are some dangers to keep in mind. 

One concern is how places and activities are being suggested. Depending on how the artificial intelligence is developed, it can lead to biases and point to few suggestions. For example, if the AI is fed information based on reviews already out on the internet, for example, TripAdvisor and social media, the suggestions it makes to users could be limited. This could lead to overwhelming business to specific places. While this could be great for those few places, this unexpected popularity surge can create problems, they were unprepared for, with a sudden overly critical eye watching over.

With a further reliance on AI to provide the ‘perfect’ suggestions, the recommendations must fulfil the expectations of all users, more so than they did before, and those left out must fight harder to get noticed. A similar phenomenon can be noticed on TikTok as travel accounts make the same suggestions, continuously drawing in patrons and pressure. With this in mind, AI used must be fed a diverse set of perspectives, to avoid this potential competition. Baidu’s AI assistant, ERNIE, is said to take in both internal and external knowledge to direct its help, yet commercialised AI may not have these apprehensions in mind as long as they’re making money.

While many fear the AI uprising against humans, there’s little attention paid to the current toll it takes. Water is required to cool servers and generate the electricity for AI usage, and according to Forbes, water used by AI could reach 6.6 billion litres by 2027. Big tech companies promise to replenish their used water, but with no plans revealed, the vow rings hollow. It’s imperative to consider this environmental threat, especially when trip advisors exist, who can provide a human quality that AI often lacks.

Tourism companies must tread lightly with their AI usage as to respect their local businesses, visitors, and the global environment. The benefits of AI in tourism may be inviting, but underlying factors must be considered to ensure that tourism, and the world overall, continue to thrive.