We used several AI search engines, including Gemini, a large-scale language model that can handle files of up to 750,000 words, and Semantra, an open source “semantic search engine” developed by Friedman. Rather than searching for specific terms, such as “sustainability” or “climate change,” search for concepts or themes. “This is a new paradigm for search, where instead of focusing on keywords, we’re trying to capture meaning,” Friedman said.
The Times has specific policies regarding the use of AI and cannot publish anything that directly comes from an AI program. This is partly because of the possibility of hallucinations, which the program is more or less just making up. So, after running queries through these search engines, Mr. Seward and Mr. Freedman handed over the results to Mr. Mzezewa. From her perspective, the technology was most helpful in identifying interesting points among that mountain of text, as seen in the inclusion of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on the list in 2009. (We called it “Fragile Cities”).
She found the Semantras particularly useful because they “gave us more context over time,” even if she wasn’t using them accurately, such as overtourism and the rise of social media in travel. She said, “I asked you to see how we wrote about the topic. words.
For example, if we wrote about sustainable travel, we asked an AI program to identify instances. Although the term didn’t actually exist at the time this list was created, the concept of greener travel did. Among the search engine hits was Star Island in the Bahamas, which was first listed as “Eco Destination of the Year” in 2009.
When we humans first started looking at lists over the years, certain themes emerged. These are the influence of smartphones and social media, increased attention to climate change, and the potential negative effects of travel, including overcrowding. The AI program’s analysis largely mirrors ours, providing a kind of high-tech backstop to journalists’ intuitions.
Choosing our list each year is a team effort, with knowledge of travel trends, a great eye for visuals, and an understanding of what people are currently looking for when traveling, to name just a few of their skills. You need a sense of understanding. Artificial intelligence won’t immediately choose where we want to go, but it can help us understand where we’ve been.
