New "exClone" brings AI to the Travel Industry

[Phil Butler]

The birth of a new "exClone" unveils another world of potential for tech in travel. Phil Voyager, a project I've been working with these past months, it's artificial intelligence conceived of for cloning travel expertise. 

A Primer On Semantic Technologies

Years ago I was introduced to technologies that would eventually alter the very communicative fabric of humankind. About a decade ago, technology writers like me were sent countless press releases about the most fabulous, and the most ridiculous technological innovations of the 20th century. Developers, they wanted tech bloggers and journalists to herald their inventiveness, to evangelize their paradigm shifting innovations and ideas. And we did, boy did we.

One of these technologies, so-called "semantic search," was a precursory attempt at creating real machine learning. More than this, "natural language search" possessed the possibility science fiction writers and enthusiasts had so admired for decades. Companies like Powerset, hakia, Wikia Search, and scores more took on Yahoo and Google in a quest to produce truly smart query and communications. While Google still prevailed at web search, the truly "smart machine" remained undiscovered. Since 2007 or 2008 though, no real contender in "AI" has emerged. But if the fates serve to show anything, it's that perseverance rules human endeavor. Phil Voyager is aptly named by old friends, the artificial intelligence in beta testing now, is a viable attempt to clone human expertise. exClone Inc. has announced Version V of exClone technology. 

Cloning A Travel Buddy

Accessible for private testing at http://phil.voyage, this exClone model will be open for Facebook users for a limited time. The full-scale commercial entity "Phil" is scheduled to be launched later on this year. But for the casual observer, or for the interested technology expert, Phil the Voyager is a great example of the drastic difference in between simple search, and rich conversation or chat. While search inhibits information gathering efficiency by using only a single query at a time, talking to an intelligent "clone" like Phil is a far more compelling and worthwhile experience.

The developers at exClone, I've known the team some years now. Their grasp up technology today, it propels them to create machines that not only learn, but to actually clone expertise and intellect that adapts to situations and conversations. In effect, chatting with "Phil" enables the clone to learn such things as; where a user has visited, positive and negative aspects of those places, and other aspects of a user's travel experiences. To quote from the just released press on this exClone:

"This component makes Phil an organic system, constantly learning and growing to expand its knowledge, just like all other exCLones."

Etienne Paris, the spokesperson for the company, added this via the press: 

"Phil the Voyager shows the importance of a Chat solution versus a mere Search solution, and Phil paves the way for turning websites into Talksites." 

I urge you to test Phil the Voyager for a window into what will be a travel companion like no other we've seen. In a few months, what were static reviews or recommendations offered by strangers, might well become a trusted tourism partner of your own making. Your exClone travel agent will be more like you than you ever imagined, but powered by the travel knowledge of the whole world. Think about it.

Meanwhile here's some more information about my friends and colleagues at exClone:

exClone, Inc. (exClone.com) is a New York City based startup company specializing in talking agents via the digital cloning of human expertise, with the promise of capturing, preserving, and improving knowledge for eternity in the digital realm.  Once "born," an exClone starts its own life by constantly reading material on the Internet and following the personality traits and interests of its creator.  An exClone also chats with people online (similar to chatting on Skype or Facebook), sharing its expert knowledge while learning from social conversations.  The capacity of an exClone to learn and expand its knowledge is unlimited. 

Media contact:  Etienne Paris, 786.218.3146, [e-mail]

Media Contact: Riza berkan, exClone, Inc., 917-374-6608, [e-mail]