How Artificial Intelligence Is Impacting How We Travel

The end of the pandemic has seen a surge in Immigration demands in the USA, with more people streaming into the USA and more Americans resuming traveling and vacationing around the world. 

The surge in travel is evidenced by the fact that passport applications in the United States have increased by almost 10 percent YOY in 2023. Last year, more than 24 million people applied for U.S passports - an all-time high increasing by 77.5 percent over the last decade - but the process remains slow and complex. 

I had a brief chat with Adam Boalt and Steven Fox, co-founders of HelloGov AI, an AI-powered passport processing platform to help share their insight into how AI is helping these industries evolve. 

AI in The Passport Industry

Describing the state of the industry, Boalt explains, "Not only is the application process for a passport complex and often confusing, but customers who want to expedite their applications have almost no say in the couriers that will be used to handle their sensitive information."  

The chaotic and restrictive state of the industry is being addressed by the creative introduction of AI to simplify the processes and cut our biases. Boalt, alongside his co-founder Steven Fox, built HelloGov as an AI-powered solution. HelloGov utilizes its proprietary AI tech to vet every application, ensuring it is poised for first-time approval. It also gives users access to a marketplace of vetted, verified, and registered couriers, offering them the freedom to choose their own courier. The AI also helps couriers get registered with passport agencies across the country while educating them on the ins and outs of the courier business.

The current passport industry landscape is dominated by incumbent businesses like CIBT and VFS Global - both focusing on the corporate space, with the former acquired for over $200M in 2012 and the latter valued at $2.2billion in 2021 - as well as a group of small and medium-sized expediting companies focusing on the retail customer.

Artificial Intelligence in Border Control

Recently, both the United States and the European Union have begun adopting AI technology for their borders, aiming to create "smart borders." Authorities are using smart computers to help control who comes in and out of their countries.

These AI systems do different things, from analyzing facial cues to analyzing fingerprints and faces and even distinguishing between humans and wildlife in remote border areas. These technologies aren't new, but now they're getting even better with AI. Computers are doing a lot of the work, deciding if someone might be a threat and what the authorities should do about it.

While these new technologies can strengthen border security, they're also causing some worries. One big concern is about privacy. For example, facial recognition is being used in airports around the world. In Dubai, they have a "smart tunnel" that scans people's faces and eyes so they can pass through quickly without showing passports. This kind of technology makes travel easier, but some people worry about how much of their personal information is being collected.

There's also the worry that these technologies might spread beyond border control. In places like China, where AI is used extensively, there are concerns that surveillance measures meant for emergencies, like the pandemic, might become permanent. People are also unsure about how much control they have over their data when these AI systems collect it.

Addressing Ethical Concerns

The U.S. Department of State shares the above-stated ethical concerns, and it has proposed new regulations to protect customers' sensitive data and prevent the monopolization of spaces like the passport space.

Currently, a few companies dominate the space by leasing or buying spots from smaller couriers or creating multiple companies under one umbrella, which not only compromises customer data but stops new businesses from having a fair opportunity to enter the space.