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Extra.ie
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Are tour guide bots the future of Dublin tourism?
My tour guide Brendan greets me warmly. 'It's grand to see you,' he tells me, and promises to introduce me to the 'historical, cultural and iconic spots of Dublin'. The young man is vaguely hipster-ish, wearing a snood, with red hair in a trendy undercut, perfect teeth and a distinct Dublin accent, boasting of the 'magnetism of my city' with a playful glint in his eyes. He's about to take me on a tour of some of the capital's most historic and interesting buildings, filling me in on their cultural and significance. Rose Mary Roche with Brendan at Christ Church. Pic: Tom Honan But most intriguingly of all, Brendan is not real, he's completely computer-generated. Dublin City Council recently launched a new app in conjunction with CityMe that features Brendan as Dublin's first AI tour guide. CityMe describes itself as an 'artificial intelligence urban tourism audio company' which develops 'local' AI guides. Its tag line insists: 'With CityMe AI-guides, any city is your city.' Pic: Getty Images To date, it has created city guides for London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid and Seville with future plans for Berlin, Rome, Malaga, New York and Cadiz. The dominance of Spanish cities reflects that CityMe is a Spanish company. The Dublin app was developed in co-operation with Dublin City Council's Smart Dublin initiative, which aims to use tech solutions to improve services and quality of life in the capital. Once you download the app to your mobile, it gives access to over 540 locations across Dublin city. There are six tour neighbourhoods – Stoneybatter/Smithfield, The Liberties, City Centre North/O'Connell Street, Old City/Temple Bar, Stephen's Green/Portobello, and Trinity College/Docklands, with each having a dedicated introduction and options to explore individual locations in detail. Rose Mary Roche with Brendan at Dublin Castle. Pic: Tom Honan By using geolocation and the latest in AI audio tech, Brendan will provide real-time narration in what is described as a 'warm, locally-informed storytelling style' about these places, which include eateries, museums, galleries and theatres, bars and nightlife venues, streets and monuments and shops. The response from Dublin's human tour guides to Brendan has been mixed. Pat Liddy, a famous tour guide who runs walking tours in Dublin is not against the idea. 'I have absolutely no problem with this Brendan AI,' Liddy, who has over 20 years of experience, observes. 'It will be great for independent travellers. I don't anticipate it replacing the need for tour guiding as many people, tour operators and corporates still appreciate the human interaction and the great depth of knowledge and flexibility of our tour guides.' Garvan Rushe of Dublin Walking Tours, who provides private bespoke tours of Dublin, doesn't feel threatened by apps like CityMe, but stresses that they miss out on the human connection that most tourists want. 'Thinking that tourists are coming here and they just need a live version of a guidebook is kind of superficial,' he says. 'It doesn't really understand that yes, for some people maybe reading a guidebook or having the AI equivalent is sufficient, but more and more people are seeing the benefits of having a tour guide. 'For us it's more about connecting with the person than it is about giving them information, So that's kind of another level. 'When I started tour guiding I came from a history background so for me I thought the most important thing was history. The more I did it, the more I realised that it is about talking to people and connecting with people. That's what people want, they want to meet real Irish people.' Garvan emphasises that people want to immerse in a culture. 'I think all tourists would like to not be in a tourism bubble, and meeting a local, meeting an Irish person, having them talk to you about their city, their culture, their history, their everything, gives so much more fulfilment and contextual information than an AI tool, or any sort of tool that ostensibly tries to replace living tour guides. 'There is a place for it – these apps are always going to come along, so it's interesting to see what they do. From my point of view, as a tour guide who does private tours, I'm don't feel threatened by it, and I feel like even in 100 years people will be travelling to different countries and desiring human connection rather than just information. 'In seeing a city without connecting with the people, you might as well be visiting a ruin, because a city without its people, that is called a ruin.' To test the accuracy of Brendan's abilities as a tour guide, I visited five of the locations he describes on the app to evaluate his performance. This has been a religious site for over 1,000 years and Brendan correctly identifies that it is 'one of Dublin's most historic buildings' with a structure on the site since 1030. He goes on to highlight the mummified cat and rat on display in the crypt – which were found preserved in an organ pipe in the cathedral – and the stunning views of the city from the tower. He omits to mention that Christchurch was the burial place of Strongbow, aka Richard de Clare, leader of the Anglo Normans, who captured Dublin in 1170, or that it also reportedly holds the heart of Saint Laurence O'Toole, patron saint of Dublin, who was buried in France in 1180 but whose heart was brought back to Dublin, stolen in 2012 and then recovered in 2018. Some major omissions here, I think. Dublin Castle is described by Brendan as at the heart of Dublin city and 'steeped in power, intrigue and transformation' and that 'every step echoes with history'. He correctly states that the original castle was built in 1204 by King John and that the only surviving part of the medieval structure is the Record Tower, which dates from the 13th century. I learn that the castle was the workplace of the Dracula author Bram Stoker from 1871 to 1878, when he was a British civil servant, and that its gloomy corridors might have influenced his description of Dracula's Transylvanian lair. I was aware already of the unsolved theft of the Irish Crown Jewels from a locked strongroom in the castle in 1907, so it was good to hear this highlighted by Brendan. He also stressed the symbolic importance of the handing over of the castle to the new Irish Provisional Government in 1922 as 'a powerful moment marking the end of British rule'. Overall, a scant summary of the castle and its role as the symbolic seat of British power in Dublin. This famous hostelry, named for its locale, sits in what Brendan calls 'the most vibrant and historic of neighbourhoods'. He explains that the entire area is named after William Temple, and that throughout the centuries it has gone from a rough patch of land beside the Liffey to a wealthy neighbourhood to a red-light district and today, to a tourism hotspot. The Temple Bar, open since 1840, is he says 'a mecca for music lovers' with live trad music daily and over 450 types of whiskey where 'the craic just never stops'. He describes it as possessing 'the soul of an old-school Irish pub' but it presents more as a dedicated tourist operation to me. Brendan omits that the pub building is listed by Dublin City Council on its Record of Protected Structures or that the Guinness World Record for the longest guitar-playing marathon was set by David Browne at Temple Bar back in 2011. Nor is the Dublin entrepreneur Hugh O'Regan, a former co-owner, mentioned having been instrumental in fighting to save the area from becoming a bus station and securing EU funding to restore Temple Bar. Brendan's description of Trinity College is effusive, identifying it as a 'prestigious university' where you need to wear your 'best garb' and that it was founded by Elizabeth I as part of a campaign to create Protestant institutions in Ireland. He names former pupils including Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Eavan Boland, but doesn't explain that the Eavan Boland Library is the new name for the main library, formerly known as the Berkeley Library. The building was recently re-named due to controversy about George Berkeley's status as a slave owner during his life. Brendan correctly namechecks Trinity's architect as William Chambers, describing its classical design with 'impressive porticos' and the 'soaring ceilings' of its famous library that houses over '200,000 priceless volumes' including the Book of Kells created in 800 AD. He does not go into any detail however about the ban imposed by the Catholic Church, forbidding Catholics from attending Trinity without special dispensation, which was not lifted until 1970. He concludes that it is a 'must-see', which is hard to dispute, but it is a pretty superficial summary of the college. Oscar Wilde is described by Brendan as a 'brilliant, flamboyant Irish man who was unapologetically, flamboyantly gay', an assertion that omits to mention his marriage to Constance or his two sons. He goes on to say he 'dismantled hypocrisy with elegance, humour and style' in famous works like The Importance of Being Earnest, The Happy Prince and The Picture of Dorian Gray, and briefly references his downfall due to his homosexual affair with Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosey), which was 'criminalised by the laws of the time'. He then describes the statue of Oscar by Danny Osborne as 'delightfully unconventional' but omits that it was commissioned by Guinness or that it wasn't erected until almost 100 years after his death, due to the lingering scandal. He does say it is as 'clever and layered as the writer it celebrates' and captures the 'flamboyance and genius of the man himself'. He also describes Oscar as a GOAT (the greatest of all time), which strikes me as inappropriate, bearing in mind Wilde was a writer with a rapier wit and not a heavyweight boxer. While the CityMe app is easy to use and the information seems largely accurate, the audio excerpts describing each location are brief, most are one to two minutes, and with repeated listening sound increasingly generic and repetitive. Everything is described in terms of uncritical hyperbole and there is no acknowledgment that history is messy, complicated and layered. I suppose the absence of nuance and context are a feature of the AI nature of the 'content' but I don't see Brendan posing a substantial threat to experienced flesh-and-blood tour guides with a deep knowledge and love of Dublin. On the plus side, for solo travellers with limited time or resources, the app could serve as an introduction to the events and people that have shaped our capital. I have found myself dipping into it regularly since downloading to check out familiar Dublin buildings or landmarks that I have always wondered about. Especially for smaller, quirkier places like the Sacred Heart Shrine in Pimlico, the Sunlight Chambers decorative panels on the quays and the Jesus of the Taxi Drivers of Cathal Brugha Street, it answers questions about how and why they came to be. If Brendan can encourage more of us to be tourists in our own capital, then he can be a positive by helping us to appreciate the vivid and varied history of Dublin. But from my own experience, visiting foreign cities and having them brought vividly to life by fantastic guides with a passion for their subject, I would always opt for a human to educate me about a new place, not an AI-generated spectre. Sorry, Brendan.
Irish Independent
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
How does Dublin's new AI city guide compare to a real walking tour? We tried them both out
But if that odd and slightly concerning thought did cross your mind, then Dublin City Council has an answer. Introducing Brendan, the Dublin-flavoured, snood-donning twenty-something made of pure pixels and infused with pride in his beloved fair city. 'It's grand to see ya. Brendan here, and I'm absolutely buzzing to take you on a journey through my hometown,' he says, carp-eyed, when you select Dublin in the CityMe smartphone app. 'From lively Temple Bar and the old city, to buzzing Stoneybatter and cool Portobello, we'll discover a wide range of historical, cultural and iconic spots.' Besides calling Oscar Wilde 'the Goat himself' (greatest of all time), there isn't much of the promised Dublin wit on show. Brendan is what your granny might refer to as a 'lovely young fella' (if she doesn't mind the bovine stare), but I'd rather someone a bit more engaging to guide me around the madhouse that is Dublin. In fact, you might even go so far as to call him a bit of a dry shite. The city that spawned business names such as 'Knobs and Knockers' and 'Angela's Rashers' deserves a far more engaging voice to bring it to life. So, I decided to pit Brendan against the ultimate foe: a Dublin walking tour with the renowned Pat Liddy's tour company. After brief introductions, myself and two American tourists, Deirdre Pleasure and Rebecca Nolan, set off with our guide Harry Pender, another twenty-something Dubliner, albeit a non-electronic one. We started out at Barnardo Square on Dame Street, and immediately I was drawn in by Mr Pender's personality as he answered questions, and even managed to summarise Irish history in a lively 15-minute back and forth – not an easy task. We then made our way down to Dublin Castle, where we learnt the origin of the word boycott, chatted about the lies embedded in Irish history (St Patrick was neither a saint or named Patrick) and joked about suncream. We were having such a raucous time, one of the other tours asked us to move along. On we went through Ship Street (which should apparently be called Sheep Street, but was mistranslated) to Christ Church Cathedral, where we heard of the robbery and return of patron saint Laurence O'Toole's heart. Crossing Grattan Bridge, we gazed over at the Ha'penny, officially known as Liffey Bridge (who knew?), where Mr Pender pointed out the spot that the River Poddle, now a mere stream, enters the Liffey through a syphon at Wellington Quay. It went on much like this for the rest of the tour through to the GPO and Trinity College, questions, banter and stories aplenty. An experience of more than three hours mentally shrunk down to what felt like an hour. I want somebody I can ask questions of, and I want somebody to interact with It was engaging, informative and great to get to know our charming tour guide, who also teaches drama to children and partakes in pro wrestling. As the walk went on, it became increasingly difficult to see how any AI character, no matter how swooshy his hair, could live up to the interactivity and humanity of a real human tour guide, and my companions agreed. 'I want somebody I can ask questions of, and I want somebody to interact with,' Ms Pleasure said. 'If I'm like, I've got a few hours and I just, spur of the moment, roam around, then the AI would suffice, but it just gives me an overview. 'But to actually learn, and to be able to have my questions answered and all that kind of stuff, I would rather people,' she added. As for Mr Pender, he was doubtful AI was currently capable of providing the same kind of tour experience as a human. 'I'm not opposed to innovation and stuff, and you know, going forward with different new ideas, but at the same time I would be very surprised if [AI] could do the same thing that a person can do,' he said. 'I'm interested in the idea of it, and you know, no one ever thought Deep Blue, for example, was ever going to beat Garry Kasparov with AI chess bots or something, but now we know AI is very, very strong, so in that sense it's good. 'In another sense, I think people want something that is an experience. It's always about making an experience for someone, and if the AI can do that, great. 'But I think there's a lot more to tour guiding than just giving people the facts of what you're talking about, because it's how you put the facts together and how you tell the story'. So much for Dublin slang. He keeps calling things awesome. Why not deadly? Heading around Dublin with Bland Brendan as company, it's hard not to agree. The AI guide definitely leans more on the artificial side of things than the intelligence. For instance, he correctly says that the old name for O'Connell Street is Drogheda Street but then pronounces it 'Dro-geeda'. And so much for Dublin slang. He keeps calling things awesome. Why not deadly? The more you scratch, the more paper-thin Brendan's persona appears. He will simply repeat the same information verbatim each time you click on an individual city landmark. One of the defining traits of AI is that it comes up with slightly different phrasings and sentences each time you speak to it – that's what makes it appear intelligent. Otherwise, it's a glorified Fisher-Price telephone that says a phrase when you press a button. So, is this simply a toy, crafted by tech bros that want to inject AI into your toaster? In fairness, it's not. Brendan definitely does a convincing Dublin accent and sounds like a local for much of his dialogue, which I'm not sure has been done before using AI. Also, the app is free of charge, so maybe I'm being too harsh. It offers a unique experience, like getting your dinner from a vending machine would. But vending machines have their place – sometimes all you want is a Kinder Bueno or a Fulfil bar. I can imagine a scenario where Brendan is all you need to get a quick overview of the city, if you're tight on time or just curious about one specific spot (and you haven't heard of Google). If you can get past the stilted Dublin dialogue and misaligned teeth, there's a reasonably interesting proposition here. For no money at all, you can see Dublin in a way quite unlike any other, so try it out and see what you think. After all, sometimes even adults enjoy Fisher-Price toys.
The Journal
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
The arrival of 'Brendan', Dublin's new AI tour guide, has divided historians of the city
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has partnered with a company called CityMe AI to devise one of the world's first Artificial Intelligence tour guides. However, the Council has said there are no plans to continue the partnership with or to develop the concept further. It comes after walking tour guides and historians criticised the move. 'Local' AI-guides CityMe AI describes itself as an 'Artificial Intelligence urban tourism audio company' and it develops 'local' AI-guides. The company says on its website that the guide is 'endowed with a native personality and is expert in the city'. It works by downloading the CityMe app, choosing the city tourists want to discover, and users are then introduced to their AI-guide. The app currently has AI-guides for Dublin, London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla, with plans to roll it out in Berlin, Roma, Malaga, New York and Cadiz. CityMe AI said 'Brendan' has 'distinct Dublin wit, charm, and a playful personality' and can cover over 500 cultural and historical spots across the city. In the introductory video on the app, Brendan describes Oscar Wilde as the 'GOAT' (Greatest of all time). A spokesperson for CityMe AI said the app uses geolocation and AI-audio technology to provide real-time narrations for each location in a 'warm, locally inspired storytelling style'. CityMe AI added that there are 'plans also in motion for him to speak Irish'. 'AI slop' However, there has been criticism of the move. Historian Donal Fallon expressed concern that tour guides could be 'out of a job for AI slop'. 'AI slop' refers to low-quality, and sometimes inaccurate and nonsensical content, that can be generated by AI tools with little human oversight. 'You could develop a really brilliant interactive map of Dublin, with each stop opening a video of a real, living person explaining a site,' added Fallon in a post on social media. Dan McKenna from Original Dublin, which offers several different types of walking tours of Dublin, also voiced concern about AI slop. Speaking to The Journal , he noted that AI is 'not always reliable for historical facts'. He said he did an 'experiment' with an AI tool and posted a question to the AI around a supposed historical event that never happened. 'It gave us a nonsense story explaining how this made-up event happened. 'It's not a reliable source, because it just trawls the internet and the internet is not always reliable.' He added that guides can be a 'very personal thing' and AI is unlikely to replicate this. 'There'll be some people who will prefer this, but I think most people would prefer to hear someone actually from Dublin. 'There's something about human association that is resonant, that makes people react to it, and guiding is especially personal. 'That is something that matters to people, but whether it'll matter to people in 20 years, as all of this stuff develops, remains to be seen.' Advertisement 'Connection' Garvan Rushe started tour guiding in 2009 and established Dublin Tour Guide in 2012. He also noted that people are looking for 'connection' on tours and told The Journal that such apps such are 'short lived'. 'We don't just tell people information, that's a very superficial understanding of what a tour guide does. 'It's more important to want to connect with people than it is to be a historian. 'There's so much more value in the experience than just learning information or hearing stories and that connection is not going to be replaced by an AI.' He added: 'This could potentially risk jobs, and Dublin City Council has better things to be spending its time on, such as providing more public seating and public bins. 'They're just not thinking about these amenities that make it easier for tourists.' Tourist information desk along Earl Street North. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo However, he noted that the Local Enterprise Office within the Council is 'fantastic and does a lot to help businesses. 'It would be nice if the Council would contact the industry,' said Rushe. 'However, I think it has limited risk because people want to experience Ireland and meet Irish people and they know AI with an Irish accent is not an Irish person.' Elsewhere, Peter Gormley from Yellow Umbrella Tours also highlighted the importance of the personal connection. 'The concept isn't new and similar apps have been around for years, although now they're developing and powered by AI. 'At the same time, the number of people who go on walking tours with a live guide has increased enormously so I wouldn't have any concern about this app.' He also expressed hope that it might be a worthwhile venture. 'I wouldn't necessarily have a negative view about using this technology and I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. 'To ignore the fact that AI is out there probably wouldn't be a good thing. 'The city has to have to keep up with technology, and I'm sure other cities will take advantage of this new type of technology.' 'Future of city exploration' In a statement to The Journal , Dublin City Council said its Smart Cities team is always trying out new ideas and looking at emerging technologies. The AI-guide has been rolled out under Smart Dublin, which was founded in 2016 by the four Dublin Local Authorities. Its stated aim is to 'future-proof the Dublin region by trialling and scaling innovative solutions to a wide range of local challenges'. Meanwhile, Dublin was last year named European Capital of Smart Tourism and the Council spokesperson said that as a result of this, the team were approached by CityMe AI to pilot an 'AI guide for the independent traveller'. It went live last Friday and the spokesperson said 'we sought feedback across our social channels'. However, it appears that such content has been deleted from Dublin City Council's social media channels. The spokesperson added that there are 'no plans currently to continue the partnership with CityMe AI or to develop this concept further'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Meet Brendan, the new AI tour guide that promises ‘distinct Dublin wit'
Brendan, an AI-generated snood-wearing young Dubliner with reddish hair, can be accessed by selecting Dublin in the CityMe AI travel guide app. Brendan will offer 'a new way' for visitors to explore Dublin, says Dublin City Council (DCC), by delivering AI-powered audio content about more than 500 cultural and historical sites across the city. Its creators promise to deliver the AI content in a 'warm, locally-inspired storytelling style', which is tailored for each location on the tour. 'This is a novel project for Dublin, where technology and culture intersect to create a unique experience for visitors,' said Nollaig Fahy, smart Tourism Manager at the Dublin City Culture Company. 'With Brendan, we are not only embracing the future of tourism, but also reaffirming our commitment to sustainability, innovation and making cultural access more inclusive than ever.' The AI city guide is currently in a pilot phase for Dublin, joining many other similar digital personalities created by CityMe, like Laia for Barcelona, Charlotte for Paris, and Liam in New York. Later this summer, Brendan will expand to include Spanish as a language option, with plans in motion for an Irish-speaking guide down the line too. Brendan was developed between Dublin City Council and Smart Dublin, in partnership with AI giant OpenAI. Launched in 2016, Smart Dublin is an initiative of the four Dublin local authorities which aims to use technological solutions to improve services and quality of life in the capital. 'We are excited to partner with Smart Dublin to bring this vision to life,' said Guido Schinocca, CityMe AI founder. 'Brendan represents the future of city exploration, blending the latest in AI technology with the rich history and culture of Dublin,' he said. The CityMe app divides Dublin into six tour locations: Stoneybatter/Smithfield, The Liberties, City Centre North/O'Connell Street, Old City/Temple Bar, St Stephen's Green/Portobello and Trinity College/Docklands. When a user clicks on an area, a brief AI-generated audio introduction is given, followed by a map of all the landmarks within that zone. Each landmark gives an audio description of the site and its history, delivered with a Dublin accent, along with a picture. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
