19/09/2025

LYFE FRIDAY | SEPT 19, 2025

12 Malaysian travellers embrace AI o 87% say they use artificial intelligence to plan trips, search for information I N recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of using the Internet, transforming the way planning, placing it among the top five activities people engage with this technology.

Regardless of the relatively small percentage of users who applied AI in travel planning, almost all of them (96%) were satisfied with this experience. A total of 44% said it was “perfect” while 52% claimed it was just “good” which was still one of the highest satisfaction scores. In both cases, a high number of respondents confirmed that they planned to use AI when preparing for trips in the future, 84% suggesting that AI services may become much more popular as a planning tool in the near future.

we search and verify information. As AI continues to evolve, its presence grows accordingly, making AI-powered tools almost ubiquitous. At the height of the tourist season, Kaspersky decided to find out how often people are using AI in travel planning, and what aspects of their trip tourists are ready to entrust to AI. Who uses AI and why? The survey confirmed that AI has become a widespread tool among active Internet users, with 72% of respondents claiming to have used it at least once. For those under 35, this figure reaches 88%. However, as expected, the older generation (54+) is less inclined to use AI services, with only 54% having interacted with AI and 20% showing no interest in trying. It turned out that the most popular use of AI is for research, with 76% of respondents confirming it was the most common use of AI. Second and the third place went to AI for work (45%) and studying (40%). Entertainment (39%) and experimenting with the technology (39%) tied for fourth place. AI in travel planning, with 28% of votes, is not yet among the most popular uses of AI. Zooming in to Malaysia, 87% of respondents agreed that they use AI primarily to search for more information. Other top uses include work-related tasks like reporting writing and idea generation (63%), as well as academic support, including explaining complex topics, homework and exam preparation (49%). A total of 39% of Malaysian respondents also use AI for travel

AI in travel planning For travellers, AI retains its most popular function – research. A total of 70% of respondents, who have used AI in travel planning, trusted AI to identify events and other activities for them whether that was finding suitable excursions, popular tourist AI has become a widespread tool among active Internet users.

groups. According to the survey, 45% of respondents booked hotels via AI services, 43% booked tickets and only 38% booked restaurants with the help of AI. Notably, 45% of participants stated that they resorted to the help of AI in solving visa and migration questions, which raises some concerns. Recently the story about an Australian writer who could not fly to a conference in Chile because of the wrong visa advice from ChatGPT suggests the risks of AI hallucinations outweigh the time-saving benefits for the most critical applications. “Some trends in AI usage we observed show that the role of AI in solving everyday issues is changing. The respondents all value their time and prefer the personalised outputs that AI provides. Already this technology is maturing and rapidly delivering on its promise of better research and generating creative ideas. By choosing the most suitable options, it becomes an important decision aid, which of course provokes reflection about the credibility of data it provides. AI-powered services are becoming increasingly in-demand tools for solving a variety of tasks, including travel planning. However, we should still remember that the decision is ours to make,” said Kaspersky research development group manager Vladislav Tushkanov. the information that AI provides. Do not make purchases or book on websites until you verify their authenticity independently. 0 While planning a trip, do not forget about the mobile Internet abroad. Consider using an eSIM to always stay in touch with your family and friends. 0 Always double-check Wi-Fi networks before connecting, use a VPN and avoid auto-joining unfamiliar hotspots. 0 Protect your devices, do not leave them unattended in crowded places, set strong passwords and install a reliable security solution, which will help protect them from various cyber threats. To ensure the safety of your travels: 0 Always double-check

routes and souvenir shops. A total of 66% used AI to select an accommodation, 60% made a list of restaurants with its help and 58% even assigned AI to search for tickets. Interestingly, families with children more actively used various AI functions in preparing for travel then childless audience, suggesting AI is helping users to save time. In Malaysia, travellers are embracing AI for trip planning at higher rates than global average, from booking accommodation (80%) and planning activities (78%) to finding restaurants (73%) and searching for tickets (69%). AI plays an increasingly important role of how Malaysians prepare for their holidays. Compared to information research, AI-powered booking was less popular across all

A Travel holographic icon shining over a mobile phone, symbolising interactive travel experience.

For travellers, AI has retained its most popular function for research. – PICS FROM 123RF