Travel firm Thomas Cook launches AI-powered chatbot

Travel services platform Thomas Cook (India) Ltd announced on Tuesday the launch of TeeCee, an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot.

Thomas Cook said in a statement that its chatbot is part of a strategic initiative to service customers across digital devices. The multi-use case and context-aware TeeCee is equipped with NLP (Natural Language Processing) capabilities for better understanding of user intent. 

TeeCee has been built in association with Bengaluru-based Senseforth AI Research Pvt. Ltd’s proprietary conversational AI platform for digital assistants, which mimics human cognitive ability in actionising user intent, the statement added.

Speaking about the two-phased launch of the chatbot, Amit Madhan, President and Group Head - Information Technology and EBusiness, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, said: “Our phased roll out in this digital evolution will enable end-to-end forex transactions, which will be followed by holiday and visa service capabilities.”

“TeeCee is a key step in our transformational journey to serving digital-first customers better,” Madhan added.

Recent developments in the chatbot segment:

• Niki.ai, an AI-powered personal assistant maker, raised Rs 3.8 crore in convertible debt from a clutch of investors. 
• Researchers at IBM India are harnessing AI to make chatbots more personalised to cater to clients’ specific needs.
• Marketing technology firm Netcore bought chatbot startup Quinto.ai