Exploring AI ticketing systems at Berlin's BER railway stations
Berlin's BER Airport has welcomed a new addition to its customer service team: an AI-powered voice assistant named Kiana. The assistant, installed in Terminal 1, is currently part of a pilot project and is scheduled to be at the airport until mid-October.
Kiana, equipped with a touchscreen, speaker, and microphone, offers effective basic travel information to passengers. Using advanced Large Language Models (LLMs), Kiana provides details about the fastest and cheapest train connections to Berlin’s city center. However, its functionality is limited, as it cannot book or sell tickets directly.
During the pilot phase, a human employee is present next to the column where Kiana is located to support passengers. The service provided by Kiana is only available from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on weekdays.
While the pilot project marks a significant step towards digitalizing customer service, there is no explicit information yet about Deutsche Bahn's plans to expand Kiana to other train stations. According to Carmen Maria Parrino, head of local transport at DB Vertrieb, the plan is to establish smart consulting with Kiana at other train stations in the future.
Passengers can speak to Kiana to get information about the next train connection at the airport. However, they need to use the QR code provided by Kiana to be directed to the Deutsche Bahn website or app for booking train connections, as Kiana cannot make bookings.
It's important to note that Kiana is not perfect and not every request is understood immediately, requiring passengers to listen carefully to understand the voice. Despite this, Kiana is a promising step towards a more digitalized and efficient customer service experience for travellers.
After the pilot project, the data will be evaluated, and a decision will be made about the future of Kiana at BER. Discussions are underway with public transport authorities regarding the potential expansion of Kiana to other train stations, but no official announcements have been made yet.
[1] Source: Deutsche Bahn press release, dated 1st April 2023.
Artificial-intelligence and technology are integrated in Kiana, an AI-powered voice assistant installed at Berlin's BER Airport in Terminal 1. Equipped with a touchscreen, speaker, and microphone, this pilot project assistant offers travel information to passengers, including details about train connections to Berlin's city center using advanced Large Language Models (LLMs). However, booking or selling tickets directly cannot be done by Kiana.
