ChatGPT wants to manage your next vacation: this new acquisition says a lot about its plans

ChatGPT buys the startup Odessia, which has developed an AI agent specializing in travel planning.

ChatGPT already offers various ways to save time when planning a trip. Additionally, the AI ​​chatbot has different specialized connectors, with services such as Booking.com or Kayak. But, obviously, OpenAI wants to go even further, since it has just formalized the acquisition of the startup Odessia, which has developed an artificial intelligence agent specialized in travel.

The amount of the transaction has not been confirmed. But the acquisition has already been announced by Francis Davidson, the creator of this startup. As for Odessia, it was closed, which suggests that OpenAI bought the startup to acquire its technologies and talents, but not for its service.

"I'm thrilled to announce that Odessia has been acquired by OpenAI and that I will be joining the team to focus on the future of travel. I founded Odessia less than a year ago with the goal of delivering the best AI-powered travel agent on the market, and I believe we have achieved that," Francis Davidson's announcement read.

"We are delighted to welcome Francis to OpenAI. Francis is a seasoned entrepreneur who has created several companies to facilitate travel, and we are excited that he has chosen to collaborate with us," also confirmed an OpenAI representative, cited by TechCrunch. The company is not yet discussing the details of the product it will develop thanks to this new acquisition. But this confirms its interest in the travel niche.

"Every week, 1.2 billion people turn to ChatGPT for help with everyday tasks: whether it's better understanding their health, finding meal ideas for dinner, setting a budget or even planning a trip. We see a real opportunity to make these experiences even more useful," said the representative.

In any case, we know that the AI ​​agent developed by Odessia, which is no longer available, allowed the user to plan their trips and automate reservations. In his announcement, Francis Davidson also revealed that his tool has already organized trips worth a total of $60 million among the first users.

The startup was created less than a year ago. And it has already raised $6 million in a financing round (pre-seed) led by Sequoia.

Machine-translated from French