Östersund Launches AI-Powered City Guides: Östersund AI-Locals
Destination Östersund and communication agency Adeprimo have joined forces to create an innovative pilot project called Ostersund.ai. This groundbreaking initiative introduces AI-driven city guides aimed at enhancing the digital and accessible visitor experience in Östersund, Sweden.
Personalized and Interactive AI Guides
The project features five digital guides powered by the latest artificial intelligence technology. Each AI guide has its own unique personality, using emojis, slang, or emphasizing words to communicate in a distinctive style. This allows users to choose the guide that best suits their preferences.
“It’s super exciting to introduce our AI guides. They represent the future of visitor experiences with their ability to quickly and efficiently answer a wide range of questions,”
says Elisabeth Richardsson, head of marketing and communication at Destination Östersund.
User Contributions and Real-Time Updates
Users can access the AI-Locals’ expertise by visiting ostersund.ai. The platform also encourages users to contribute their own tips, helping the guides become even more knowledgeable about local hidden gems. This collaborative approach ensures that AI-Locals are aware of insider information known only to locals.
To keep the information current, Adeprimo has developed a system of bots that continuously scan selected pages. These bots update information on opening hours, events, activities, menus, and more, ensuring users receive the most up-to-date information.
Multilingual Support for International Visitors
Thanks to AI technology, the AI-Locals can communicate in multiple languages. This feature makes the service accessible to international visitors who may not speak Swedish, helping more people discover and appreciate Östersund.
“AI as a technology is of course exciting to work with, and it becomes clear that there are great opportunities for the visitor industry. As a visitor, being able to get personalized suggestions based on the large amount of data we collect, and that it can do it directly. Already during the test period, it became clear that you can get good answers that are retrieved from several different sources in a common packaging. It will be fun to see during the summer how it answers questions, and how we can develop it and make it even better,”
says Erik Isberg, digital strategist at Adeprimo.
Continuous Improvement and Future Plans
While the AI guides offer numerous advantages, the team acknowledges that they are not infallible. Destination Östersund and Adeprimo are committed to continuously improving and fine-tuning the system to minimize errors. They encourage user feedback and contributions to enhance the AI guides’ knowledge base.
The AI-locals will be evaluated both continuously and after the summer. The hope is that this project can be scaled up to include additional information beyond just tourism for Östersund and that the service can be offered to more destinations in the future.
For more information about Östersund AI-Locals, visit ostersund.ai.
