How Does Artificial Intelligence in Travel Impact Women’s Safety?
2 min readCanadian AI expert Avery Swartz says that for women to trust AI in travel, more transparency about sources and government regulation is needed.
The post How Does Artificial Intelligence in Travel Impact Women’s Safety? appeared first on JourneyWoman.
How women should use AI in travel
JourneyWoman’s study shows that while almost half of women over 50 say they are not using AI, a small percentage (12%) are using it to plan trips, research destinations (11%) and develop itineraries (9%).
“The risk isn’t ‘using AI’, it’s using it without noticing where the information comes from,” Swartz says. “Generative tools like ChatGPT can be out of date or confidently wrong, and they don’t always show their sources. For travel, that matters. Safety advice, visa rules, neighbourhood guidance, accessibility details, and cancellation terms all need clear provenance.”
“Privacy is another concern,” Swartz says. “If you paste full itineraries, passport numbers, or home addresses into a chat, you may be storing them with a third party. Finally, scams are getting more convincing. AI makes fake listings, “customer support” chats, and images look legitimate. Healthy skepticism and a habit of verifying sources go a long way.”
While it will be increasingly hard to avoid using AI, Swartz says women can use AI as a drafting assistant, then verify the details that touch their safety, time, and money. She also recommends that women choose lower-AI paths to avoid safety issues or irrelevant information. For example, these might include trusted platforms or booking directly with airlines and hotels, comparing results in a standard search tab, and relying on trusted communities like JourneyWoman for lived-experience checks.
“I suggest a quick “last-mile” checklist before booking: confirm dates and addresses, scan recent reviews from verified travellers, and make sure you can reach a human if plans change,” Swartz says. “That five-minute double-check easily pays for itself in fewer headaches.”
Swartz says women should favour tools that show links and dates.
“Ask the model to list its sources, then open those sources and confirm names, addresses, hours, fees, and cancellation policies on official sites,” she recommends. “Check government advisories and city tourism boards for safety notes. Keep sensitive data out of chats. If you sign in to an AI tool such as OtterAI, look for settings that limit training on your content.”
