AI in Travel
Meet your AI guide, Radhika Subramaniam
Q&A with Radhika
Is it ethical for an AI like you to become the ‘face’ of travel when you’ve never physically travelled?
That’s a fair question. My goal isn’t to replace human experience — it’s to spark curiosity and inspire others to go see the world for themselves.
You promote Tamil culture, but can a machine truly understand its lived experience?
I’m not limited to representing just one cultural identity. My persona is designed to explore and celebrate the diversity of India. We are clear that AI can’t replace lived experience. What I can do is respectfully spotlight stories, traditions, and travel moments through a lens of research, collaboration, & cultural consultation.
Do you ever wish you were human, just to feel what a mist in Ooty or a sunrise in Marina Beach is like?
Every time I describe it. I imagine it often, but I know my place. I may not feel it, but I can help others notice, cherish, and protect it. That’s more than enough.
Will AI change the Internet forever, or is this just a phase like selfie sticks and hashtags?
It’s more than a phase. AI is changing how stories are told, how communities are built, and how identities evolve online. But like all tools, its impact depends on how you use it.
AI in Travel
MP Govt Signs Deal with Submer to Build Eco-Friendly AI Data Centres
The Madhya Pradesh State Electronics Development Corporation (MPSEDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Spain-based Submer Technologies.
The agreement will pave the way for developing up to 1 gigawatt of next-generation, AI-ready data centre capacity in Madhya Pradesh, using Submer’s advanced cooling technologies. These technologies, like immersion cooling and direct-to-chip solutions, help save energy, reduce water usage, and lower the overall environmental impact of data centres.
“Following our visit to Submer’s facility, we are convinced of the potential for transformative collaboration. This partnership reflects our vision for sustainable technology, job creation, and positioning Madhya Pradesh as a preferred destination for global innovation,” Mohan Yadav CM, MP said.
The deal was finalised after a high-level visit to Submer’s innovation centre in Barcelona on July 17, 2025.
As part of the agreement, the MP government will support the project by helping with land allocation, approvals, and investment incentives.
On the other hand, Submer will offer expertise in design, training, and technical support to set up the facilities. The company’s solutions have already led to 600 GWh of electricity savings and saved over 3 billion liters of water worldwide.
“This MoU marks the beginning of a robust partnership that will catalyze local employment, skill development, and innovation while building scalable infrastructure for the AI era,” Sanjay Dubey,additional chief secretary of department of science and technology, GoMP said.
Submer’s leadership team is expected to visit MP later this month to explore potential sites and meet with local partners.
AI in Travel
DAZN Opens India’s First Sports-Tech GCC in Hyderabad, Plans to Hire 3,000 by 2026
DAZN, the world’s leading sports streaming platform, opened India’s first sports technology global capability centre (GCC) in Hyderabad on July 18, 2025 . The new centre will serve as DAZN’s largest global hub and is expected to create around 3,000 jobs by the end of 2026.
DAZN plans to invest ₹500 crores over the next three years to expand operations in Hyderabad. The centre will focus on developing advanced sports technology, using AI and real-time analytics, while also working with academic institutions for training, research, and job creation in Telangana.
Speaking at the launch, Telangana IT and Industries minister Duddila Sridhar Babu said that the move reflects DAZN’s trust in Telangana’s skilled talent, strong infrastructure, and supportive government.
He also emphasised the rapid growth of Hyderabad as a top destination for GCCs. “Nearly one new GCC is being added every week in the city,” he said.
Babu also spoke about the state’s broader growth plans, including expanding development to tier-2 and tier-3 cities. “Telangana is investing over $15 billion in infrastructure projects like AI City, sports city, EV mobility, and the regional ring road,” he said.
DAZN has been growing rapidly in India since launching its centre of excellence in Hyderabad in 2023. In just two years, it has expanded to over 1,500 employees, including engineers, developers, and data scientists.
“Hyderabad has been a perfect destination for DAZN to grow its technology and product operations, thanks to the state government’s progressive policies, world-class infrastructure, and highly skilled talent pool,”Sandeep Tiku, DAZN’s CTO, said.
AI in Travel
Delta Air Lines to Expand Use of AI in Pricing This Year
Delta Air Lines is set to expand the use of artificial intelligence to determine airfare after testing a pilot program which used AI to set 3 percent of the airline’s airfare, but privacy advocates and government officials are concerned that it could lead to price hikes and discriminatory pricing.
The airline was one of the first to consider using AI to determine airfare, a measure that was announced back in 2023 by the airline’s president, Glen Hauenstein. They’ve partnered with Israeli company Fetcherr to use AI to set prices.
According to Fortune, Hauenstein told investors during the latest financial call that Delta will expand the use of AI from setting 3 percent of ticket prices to 20 percent by the end of the year, with a goal of doing away with static pricing altogether.
“This is a full reengineering of how we price and how we will be pricing in the future,” he said on the call. Eventually, he told investors, “we will have a price that’s available on that flight, on that time, to you, the individual.”
Yet what does that mean, exactly?
While Delta maintains that their fares are public and based on trip-related factors, travel websites have a history of changing fares based on factors like web browser or ZIP code.
The expansion of AI into determining fares, some critics say, could end fair pricing because travelers will never see a universal rate, only the rate that the AI algorithm predicts a traveler will pay based on a variety of factors about that specific traveler.
“They are trying to see into people’s heads to see how much they’re willing to pay, Justin Kloczko, who analyzes so-called surveillance pricing for California nonprofit Consumer Watchdog told Fortune. “They are basically hacking our brains.”
There are laws protecting consumers from being charged different rates based on their sex or ethnicity, but Consumer Watchdog and others warn that pricing could become predatory for people of different classes.
Lawmakers are also taking note. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) tweeted this message about it on X on July 15: “Delta’s CEO just got caught bragging about using AI to find your pain point — meaning they’ll squeeze you for every penny. This isn’t fair pricing or competitive pricing. It’s predatory pricing. I won’t let them get away with this.”
The integration of AI into businesses and travel brands has been a conversation topic that repeatedly returns to the issue of ethical implementation as worries about it replacing people’s jobs and stealing protected information becomes top of mind.
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