Brendan or your AI boyfriend?
As travellers bring AI companions on the road, place-based guides like Brendan must fight to stay relevant and local
Storytelling
Narrative structure, interpretive choices, emotional pacing, and delivery style
Travel video just changed and so did who gets to star in it
In the span of two weeks, video has undergone its most radical shift in decades. (Google's Veo 3 & Odyssey)
Will guests prefer parasocial AI tour guides to historical or fictional characters?
As AI-guided tours evolve, guests may prefer walking through cities with AI versions of their favourite influencers rather than historical or fictional characters. Parasocial bonds could transform travel, making exploration feel more personal, dynamic, and emotionally engaging
Is AI ready to create, choose, and tell stories better than a human tour guide?
Storytelling isn’t just about content—it’s about connection. A human guide reads the room, skips the meat story for the vegetarians, senses when attention is drifting, and shifts tone accordingly. Can AI do the same?