Air India on Friday said it has handled over half a million customer queries in the past seven months deploying a generative artificial intelligence (AI)-based virtual agent, becoming the first airlines to do so.

While passengers can use conventional means like calling the call centre, the Air India website also gives them a platform to seek information on various topics like refunds, baggage allowance, flight status among others.

Airlines around the world are relying on AI for improving customer experience. Chatbots for instance are helping airlines answer customer queries. IndiGo too offers round-the-clock self-serve options with an AI-based tools. These however used different forms of AI like natural language processing.

Air India said its generative AI application uses results in much a higher percentage of answered queries with higher accuracy of responses.

Air India’s virtual agent called Maharaja is powered by Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service and has answered over a half a million queries since its launch in March, the airline said. Daily it handles around 6,000 queries in Hindi, English, French and German. “About 15 per cent of customer queries today require additional assistance, and Maharaja recognises this automatically and orchestrates a seamless handoff to Air India’s contact centre agents,” it said.

“We have used several patent-pending innovations in our AI agent Maharaja with a combination  of traditional machine learning techniques and the latest in generative AI to provide a pleasing and effective experience for our customers. Many more innovations are in the pipeline and will be made live in the months to come,” said Satya Ramaswamy, the airline’s chief digital and technology officer.

Air India said it is also using ChatGPT to analyse complex questions it may not be able to immediately answer to improve customer experience in later interactions. 

AI adoption

Other airlines too have begun using generative AI for operational improvements. For instance, Emirates is using generative AI for cabin crew training. Lufthansa has created a separate business unit to develop digital solutions for improving customer experience.

In its latest insights, air transport IT specialist SITA said that the adoption of AI will continue to increase: airlines (76 per cent) and airports (68 per cent) are planning major programmes, or R&D, for AI by 2025. “Some of these programmes today are directly customer-facing. For example, Etihad plans to use AI to enable passengers to book flights,” it said in August.

AI CEO cautions staff about fraudulent emails 

In his weekly email to employees, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has cautioned staff about fraudulent emails and Whatsapp messages. “ There seem to be spate of fraudsters pretending to be senior company executives contacting employees through whatsapp, email or phone and asking for information or even to arrange bill payments.....We will never ask you to release information or make payments outside official channels, so if ever someone asks you to do so..... refuse the approach and report it,” Wilson said in his email on Friday.