Futura, l'expert en tourisme numérique développé par Reply, a été lancé à bord du Costa Smeralda pour aider les clients à choisir des expériences terrestres.

14 may 2024 

The on-board staff of Costa Smeralda, flagship of Costa Cruises' fleet, can now count on a very special new collaborator. The collaborator is Futura, the Digital Tour Expert who accompanies the ship's guests' vacations in the Mediterranean Sea and provides personalized suggestions and ad hoc experiences to explore each of the destinations included in the itinerary. 

This innovative project, already live on the Italian company's ship, was build by Reply, combining the expertise of Infinity Reply and Technology Reply, which specialize in 3D content & Spatial Computing and Data & AI, respectively.

Futura is a real virtual assistant, which uses generative AI and real time 3D models to introduc a new customer experience model, both in terms of approach and functionality. 

Every Costa Smeralda guest can talk to Futura fluently in one of the six enabled languages (Italian, English, Spanish, French, German or Portuguese) to request information that can help them make their vacation even more memorable. The solution is designed to help guests plan their visit to each port included in their itinerary, providing recommendations on key points of interest, based on their profiles and expressed preferences. Futura not only identifies and proposes personalized itineraries to guests in land-based destinations, but also proactively suggests the best tours organized by Costa Cruises that allow guests to explore the destinations. In particular, it is worth highlightinh the identification of points of interest, which makes the vacation experience even richer, more engaging, and at the same time simpler in all aspects of logistics. Once guests have chosen their favorite excursion, they can book it directly with Futura with just a few taps.

Thanks to GenAi's advanced algorithms, the virtual assistant communicates in natural language with guests, making the exchange of information simple and bidirectional, while using their feedback to offer recommendations and suggestions that become increasingly accurate and refined over time. In addition, the range of touristic itineraries shown is accompanied by pill presentations on individual cities, acquired from a specially created knowledge base. 

“Innovation has been part of Costa Cruises' DNA for more than 75 years. Thanks to the collaboration of an excellent partner such as Reply we are exploring the possibilities offered by generative AI and real time 3D to further enhance our guests' vacation experience. Futura is a very valuable support to the work of Costa Smeralda's on-board staff, integrating the services they offer in an engaging and effective way. The exploration of destinations is one of the strengths of our cruises, which always arouses great interest from guests who request more in-depth information. This is why we decided to start experimenting with generative AI precisely in this area, with very satisfactory results"-said Domenico Alessio, IT Vice President of Costa Cruises.

“As Reply, we are collaborating with several entities in the enterprise-level use of AI-driven digital humans. These digital figures, which enable fluid interaction in natural language, and use real-time 3D and graphical hyperrealism technologies, allow for extreme personalization (of appearance, personality and expertise), enabling brands to employ them a wide variety of contexts, from entertainment to education and all the way to online services and marketing” - commented Filippo Rizzante, CTO of Reply. 

Costa Smeralda offers week-long cruises exploring Italy, France and Spain, including timeless atmospheres, art cities, beaches and beautiful landscapes, with stops in Genoa, Marseille, Barcelona, Cagliari, Naples and Civitavecchia/Rome.