Booked for disaster! TripAdvisor AI accused of sugarcoating nightmare hotel reviews

Think your AI travel assistant has your back? It might be packing rose-colored glasses.TripAdvisor’s artificial intelligence review summaries are under fire after an investigation found the chatbot appeared to gloss over alarming guest complaints.This included reports of food poisoning, poor hygiene and even alleged sexual harassment — while painting an overly sunny picture of some vacation spots.One of the most eyebrow-raising examples involved the Riu Palace Santa Maria in Cape Verde, as originally reported by The Guardian. There, the AI touted “spotless” accommodations, spacious rooms and restaurants earning “rave reviews.”The glowing summary stood in stark contrast to numerous guest accounts describing raw chicken, birds and flies around buffet food and one traveler who warned: “This place will destroy holidays.”The resort’s operator, RIU Hotels & Resorts, defended its practices, as per the outlet, saying: “We operate with the highest standards of professionalism and service, placing hygienic-sanitary safety as our top priority.”Another AI-generated summary praised a resort in Turkey for its “friendly” service despite guest reviews alleging repeated sexual harassment by male staff.Rather than highlighting those complaints, the AI referred only to “lapses [in service] noted by a few.”“The platform has a responsibility to revisit the accuracy of its AI summaries and AI chatbot,” Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, told The Guardian.“In the meantime, users should scroll past these summaries and look at guest reviews, particularly one-star ratings, and at reviews on other sites, to make sure their next stay is a safe one.”TripAdvisor said it is reviewing the examples highlighted in the investigation and continues refining the feature.The company said it is “looking into the examples where reviews did not match the intended property,” adding that it remains “confident these features are delivering exactly what they ...