logo
ChatGPT can find and book an Airbnb for you now

ChatGPT can find and book an Airbnb for you now

In a post on X, Viswanathan described how she used ChatGPT (Pro version) to find an Airbnb for an October event. This was her prompt:
"I want to find an Airbnb for [event] in [city / neighborhood] in October this year. I want it for at least that Wednesday through ideally the next Monday. And I want a super nice modern spot that is ideally walkable to the event. Tell me about the area nearby. And ideally it's walkable to coffee shops and things like that too. And I want it to have at least four bedrooms."
She also helped ChatGPT do preparatory work by getting the chatbot to absorb information about her preferences upfront.
"What are some core things that you need to know about me so that you can execute on more complicated tasks accurately?," she wrote to ChatGPT. "Different types of preferences or styles, things like that. Give me a list of questions that I can answer so you can remember. And give me multiple choice answers to make it easy for me."
That resulted in Viswanathan sharing likes and dislikes on topics such as food/meals, hotels, travel, and communication, helping the ChatGPT agent conduct more bespoke research on her behalf.
The AI delivered a spot-on recommendation within about 10 minutes, versus more than an hour if she'd done this online research herself.
"I'm very picky about where I stay," she wrote. "The benefit is less about the time savings and more about the peace of mind knowing it's going to handle it. Insane."
Some travelers love organizing trips more than actually going on them. For everyone else, Viswanathan's experiment offers a compelling glimpse of the future: A proactive AI concierge that knows you well enough to get travel recommendations right the first time.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

A researcher scraped almost 100,000 ChatGPT conversations from Google Search.
A researcher scraped almost 100,000 ChatGPT conversations from Google Search.

The Verge

time19 minutes ago

  • The Verge

A researcher scraped almost 100,000 ChatGPT conversations from Google Search.

Posted Aug 5, 2025 at 3:41 PM UTC A researcher scraped almost 100,000 ChatGPT conversations from Google Search. The conversations stemmed from a now-defunct feature that let ChatGPT users make their conversations discoverable on search engines. Some of the conversations uncovered by the researcher involved an upload of a supposed non-disclosure agreement for visitors to OpenAI's headquarters, and the owner of a named business asking ChatGPT for help writing a contract, as reported by 404 Media . Nearly 100,000 ChatGPT Conversations Were Searchable on Google [ Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Emma Roth Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Emma Roth Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All AI Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All OpenAI

5 reasons the AI boom might not be a buffer against a recession
5 reasons the AI boom might not be a buffer against a recession

Business Insider

timean hour ago

  • Business Insider

5 reasons the AI boom might not be a buffer against a recession

The AI boom might not be enough to stave of an economic downturn. That's according to Peter Berezin, the chief global strategist at BCA Research who thinks that the US still has a 60% chance of entering recession in the next 12 months. A contraction, if it comes, likely won't be prevented by the craze for artificial intelligence, Berezin wrote in a note to clients on Monday, referring to chatter that AI can enhance productivity and spur enough growth in the economy to offset President Donald Trump's tariffs. Investors saw a clear warning in the latest jobs data, Berezin suggested, with the US adding far fewer payrolls than expected in July. Job gains for May and June were also revised downward by a collective 258,000, which Berezin called the "coup de grâce" of the latest jobs report. Stocks are still hovering near all-time highs, likely due to the belief that the weakness in the labor market stems from "temporary" pressures from Trump's tariffs, as well as enthusiasm for AI, Berezin speculated. "Although we doubt that this is the full story, our guess is that stocks will anchor themselves on this benign explanation until proven otherwise," Berezin wrote, later adding that investors couldn't count on AI to "save" the economy. "The AI boom is more of a stock market story than an economic story, at least so far," he continued. Here are the reasons Berezin is skeptical AI will buffer the economy from a recession: 1. AI spending benefits will take time to trickle down. Big tech firms have been spending big on AI. But the boom in capital expenditures is largely concentrated in Nvidia's AI chips and other tech equipment, which aren't manufactured in the US. "Although it is possible that some of this spending will be restored back to the US, it will take a while for that to happen," Berezin wrote. 2. Tech job market in decline. Tech employment is showing signs that growth in the sector is past its peak. Employment in the IT Services sector was lower in July than it was at the end of 2024, according to BCA's analysis. Private job gains in computer and electronic manufacturing is also hovering near a record-low. 3. Higher energy prices The boom in data centers means the US will need a lot of energy that it currently doesn't have. That's raising electricity prices for consumers, a factor that's likely to weigh on consumer spending, Berezin said. Wholesale electricity prices are up 22% from levels last year, according to data from PJM Interconnection. Consumer spending — which accounts for around two-thirds of GDP — rose more than expected in June, but dropped 0.9% in May. 4. Productivity gains aren't here yet There aren't many signs at the moment that AI is significantly boosting productivity. Productivity growth in the "Post-ChatGPT" era, which spans the fourth-quarter of 2022 to now, has averaged around 2.1%, below the average during the peak of the dot-com bubble. Productivity growth is also about the same as it was over the past decade, BCA's analysis shows. "Thus far, however, the data does not point to a structural acceleration in productivity," Berezin said. It could take a long time to see productivity gains from AI effervesce. Productivity growth accelerated in the late 90s, but around 15 years after the personal computer was created, Berezin noted. 5. Other recession indicators are flashing warnings Other indicators of potential downturn are showing signs that the economy could be past its business cycle peak. Berezin pointed to the National Bureau of Economic Research's "Big Six" recession indicators, which could signal the economy is already starting to meaningfully contract. Civilian employment, for instance, is down 0.5% since April, according to BCA's analysis of Federal Reserve data. Real sales in manufacturing and trade and Real income minus current transfer receipts, two measures of consumer spending power in the US, have also slightly declined over the last several months, according to data the firm analyzed from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. "We had planned to reduce our US recession odds if last week's data parade came in on the strong side. It did not, so we are keeping our 12-month recession probability of 60% as is," Berezin wrote, adding that he believed recession risks were "front-loaded" into 2025. The risk of a downturn has become front-of-mind after the latest jobs data, though most forecasters on Wall Street still expect the economy to nail a soft-landing in 2025. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and JPMorgan are among those who have trimmed their recession odds in recent months, largely due to Trump dialing back some of the tariffs he announced on Liberation Day.

ChatGPT makers respond to growing number of people using AI as a therapist
ChatGPT makers respond to growing number of people using AI as a therapist

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

ChatGPT makers respond to growing number of people using AI as a therapist

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, says it is rushing to fix the systems' difficulties with helping users in mental distress. In recent months, increasing reports have suggested that people are turning to the system as a kind of therapist, for help with personal problems and mental health issues. But ChatGPT is often overly encouraging of users who consult it, encouraging people's delusions and failing to challenge their assumptions. Now OpenAI says that it is responding to those concerns with a range of updates and research intended to help make the system less dangerous when it is used by people are experiencing mental health crises or similar problems. The company knows 'that AI can feel more responsive and personal than prior technologies, especially for vulnerable individuals experiencing mental or emotional distress', it said. Those changes include improvements to the models to make it better at recognising 'signs of delusion or emotional dependency', it said. Numerous reports have shown that the system could encourage people's delusions, or allow them to become emotionally attached to the system. Users will also now be shown alerts if they are having long sessions of sending messages to ChatGPT. The message says that it is 'just checking in' and asks whether it is a 'good time for a break'. It will also look to work through questions with people, rather than giving them an answer, especially in 'high-stakes personal decisions'. If a user asks whether they should break up with their boyfriend, for instance, it will aim to help them weigh up the decision rather than telling them what to do. OpenAI also committed to work with experts to improve the system's response at 'critical moments – for example, when someone shows signs of mental or emotional distress'. That has included working with medical experts, an advisory group on mental health and similar concerns, as well as working with researchers to improve the systems' ability to spot concerning behaviour and respond to it. The announcement comes as OpenAI continues to tease the launch of GPT-5, an update to the model that powers ChatGPT. It will be the first major release since GPT-4 was launched in 2023, and OpenAI boss Sam Altman has looked to hype the new version as potentially transformative.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store