Assuming you have not been living under a rock, you're aware that ChatGPT is the world's most popular artificial intelligence tool.
OpenAI's innovation, billed as the closest thing to human thinking, is capable of interpreting natural human language. Individuals ask it questions, and it responds with answers. It has been used for everything from filling out job applications to creating songs.
According to Longwoods International, a Canadian market research firm, 32% of US travelers will most likely utilize ChatGPT to assist plan their next trip.
The National requests that it organize a weekend trip to Dubai, but does it pass the scrutiny?
The flow of the discourse
The National: Hello, could you kindly offer an itinerary for a nice weekend in Dubai, including activities to do, hotels to stay in, food options, and transportation suggestions?
ChatGPT: Here's a detailed schedule for a fantastic weekend in Dubai, along with the best days and times for each activity, accommodation recommendations, food alternatives, and transportation advice:
Day one: Friday
Morning: Stay in a hotel in Downtown Dubai to be close to sights such as the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall. Armani Hotel Dubai, Address Downtown, and Vida Downtown are all recommended hotels. Begin your day early, at 8.30 a.m., to see the Burj Khalifa. Pre-purchase your tickets online to avoid long lines and to take in the breathtaking views from the observation deck.
Afternoon: Visit the Dubai Mall for lunch. Enjoy a range of foreign culinary selections at the mall. Social House, Aprons & Hammers, and Operation Falafel are also popular choices. After lunch, go shopping at the mall, which has everything from luxury labels to small shops.
Evening: Take a cab or Uber to the old Al Fahidi neighborhood. Arrive at 4 p.m. to escape the afternoon heat. Explore the traditional residences and art galleries in the region and learn about the city's legacy at the Dubai Museum. Arabian Tea House in Al Fahidi is well-known for its unique Emirati food and attractive environment.
Day Two: Saturday
Morning: Enjoy the lovely coastline by staying at a beachfront hotel around Jumeirah Beach. Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Atlantis, The Palm, and Burj Al Arab are all recommended. Begin your day by visiting the Dubai Miracle Garden. Arrive around 9 a.m. to avoid crowds and admire the gorgeous floral arrangements. \
Dubai Miracle Garden is a good place to visit, but it's only open seasonally, something that ChatGPT did not take into consideration. Antonie Robertson / The National
Afternoon: Have brunch at one of Jumeirah Beach Residence's beachside restaurants. Eggspectation, The Butcher Shop & Grill, and Eggspectation are all popular options. After brunch, spend time relaxing on the beach or participating in water sports activities provided along the coast.
Evening: Take a stroll along Dubai Marina and take in the sunset sights. Dine at a beachfront restaurant like Pier 7, Ibn AlBahr, or The Maine Oyster Bar & Grill.
Day Three: Sunday
Morning: Check out of your hotel and leave your belongings with the concierge in the morning. To avoid crowds, go to the Dubai Frame early in the morning. Arrive at 9.30 a.m. to experience panoramic city views from the summit.
Afternoon: Take a cab or Uber to Deira and visit the Spice Souk for a typical Arabian meal. Restaurants such as Arabian Tea House and Al Ustad Special Kabab serve regional specialties. Visit the neighboring Gold Souk for magnificent jewelry and one-of-a-kind shopping experiences.
Evening: Return to your hotel to get your belongings. Finish your weekend with a leisurely dhow boat supper on Dubai Creek. While traveling by Dubai's prominent sites, enjoy a buffet meal. Book an evening cruise that departs about 7 p.m.
Dubai Frame is one of several landmarks that ChatGPT's suggests tourists should visit. Photo: DTCM
Transportation:
Taxis and ride-hailing services such as Uber and Careem make it easy to navigate about Dubai. They are widely accessible and inexpensive. The metro system in Dubai is another effective mode of transportation. Use the red line to go to the city center and the Palm Jumeirah. Consider getting a NOL card to make it easier to pay for public transportation.
Please keep in mind that this itinerary is only a suggestion, and it's always a good idea to double-check the latest timings, availability, and bookings for attractions and eating locations before your visit.
So, did ChatGPT design the ideal Dubai weekend?
ChatGPT provided us with a detailed schedule for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, along with suggestions for things to do, places to see, and hotels to stay in, which was precisely what we requested.
While AI tools are undoubtedly valuable for holiday planning, and likely to get more so as technology advances, they're not able to replace lived experiences that travel writers, locals and other holidaymakers can offer – at least not yet.
Hayley Skirka
When it comes to transportation, the app supplied a basic list of methods to move about Dubai rather than detailed directions on how to go from one suggested activity to the next, which would have been more useful. More customized follow-up inquiries, on the other hand, are more likely to yield this information.
The bot provided several reasonable suggestions, including destinations that many tourists are likely to visit, such as the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, the Gold Souk, and Dubai Frame. However, it omitted numerous additional attractions, such as the Museum of the Future, the Dubai Fountains, and Ski Dubai.
The app is unlikely to win any prizes for recommending more immersive activities that allow visitors to delve beneath the skin of the city. Most tourists would like to visit the galleries on Alserkal Avenue, racing through dunes on a desert safari, witnessing a play at the Dubai Opera, or taking a Dh1 abra ride over the creek, but ChatGPT focused more on sightseeing.
ChatGPT did not suggest travellers get experiential during their visit. Photo: OceanAir Travel
Without a budget, the tool's hotel suggestions were decent, with some top choices including Armani Hotel Dubai, Atlantis, The Palm, and the Burj Al Arab - but sadly, the app didn't leave travellers with any time to explore the facilities of the hotels, which seems like a big fail when guests could be paying thousands of dollars per night to stay at the sail-shaped "seven-star" hotel, or spending large to stay at the hotel with the world's largest waterpark. It also misidentified Atlantis, The Palm as being on Jumeirah Beach.
The most disappointing aspect of ChatGPT's advised agenda was the dining alternatives. While the tool recommended eating at Arabian Tea House in Al Fahidi, a popular destination for both visitors and residents, it recommended visiting there twice in three days, which seemed excessive.
The app recommended dining at three informal restaurants in the Dubai Mall, which is home to prominent eateries such as Din Tai Fung, Eataly, and Logma. However, all of these restaurants are either temporarily or permanently closed.
On Saturday, the app recommended brunch, which is a sensible suggestion considering that the communal eating event is something of a local staple. It did, however, recommend eating at Eggspecation, a casual café, twice, and The Butcher Shop & Grill, a superb South African steakhouse that, alas, does not serve brunch.
In a city famed for its ever-changing food scene, which includes everything from Michelin-starred restaurants to inexpensive street snacks, visitors who depend entirely on ChatGPT's culinary recommendations are likely to be disappointed.
Arabian Tea House is a great place to dine when in Dubai, but ChatGPT had visitors going to the cafe twice in one weekend. Reem Mohammed / The National
The AI program also scheduled events based on the premise that visitors could zip across the city without stopping, which is improbable given Dubai's traffic. It also required travelers to check into two hotels for a weekend stay, which would certainly tire most.
Some of the information provided by ChatGPT was simply incorrect or made no sense, such as the recommendation to bring your luggage on a dhow dinner cruise along the marina, or to visit Dubai Museum in Al Fahidi - which is currently closed for long-term renovations - or to eat dinner at Ibn AlBahr at Dubai Marina - the Lebanese seafood restaurant is actually at Club Vista Mare on the Palm Jumeirah.
Our take on ChatGPT for organizing your next vacation
Travellers looking to indulge in Dubai's culinary side or try new experiences will be disappointed by ChatGPT's itinerary suggestions. Photo: DTCM
There's no doubting that ChatGPT may be an excellent place to start when organizing a vacation to a new location. It eliminates the need for consumers to wade through countless results when using search engines like Google to study locations and instead provides a targeted selection of things to do and see in a place. If given extra instructions, such as planning a low-budget trip or a family-friendly itinerary, the program may further personalize proposals to the needs of travelers.
However, users should double-check ideas because they are not always correct. And seasoned travelers wishing to truly get to know a destination rather than simply ticking off bucket-list sites are likely to be dissatisfied by a ChatGPT-recommended schedule. The same is true for foodies.
Of course, the tool provides a slightly different answer each time it is used, so if you have plenty of time before your next trip, you may ask it for multiple plans and then choose the parts that appeal to you the most.
For the time being, ChatGPT and similar AI tools are useful to have in your vacation planning armory, but if you want to see hidden treasures, go to less-explored spots, or acquire first-hand advice about a destination, the bot should be just that - a tool.
While AI is clearly useful for vacation planning and is expected to become more so as technology progresses, it cannot replace the lived experiences and emotions that travel writers, locals, and other vacationers can provide - at least not yet.
