How the ‘Ask Atlas’ AI Tool Takes You on the Perfect KLM Trip
As you sit at your desk and think about all the places in the world you’ve not visited yet, do you dream of finding the perfect escape? With the world becoming more interconnected and with more options available than ever, decision fatigue can often take over those initial planning stages – but not when it comes to airline KLM’s latest campaign.
In a bid to allow people to make a more informed decision about their future travel destination, the airline worked with the ACE Ai Studio, digital branding studio Born05 and Label A to create 'Ask Atlas'. The new AI tool allows for a more personalised and customisable way to search for destinations. This campaign, marking 100 years of KLM, means that the expertise of the brand can support travellers before they even board their flight, taking them to the location which works best for the type of holidayer they are.
Working across 40 countries and 12 languages, and with over 60,000 AI-generated travel tips ready to support customers, it’s the first-of-its-kind content for the travel sector. With KLM solidifying its high-quality and immersive travel content, previously having launched the iFly Magazine, the latest platform utilises generative AI to take things further this time.
Sharing more about the process are Born05’s creative director, Timo Wilbrink, AI lead of Label A, Jorn Bostelaar and head of ACE AI Studio, Sjors van Hoof, who speak to LBB’s Nisna Mahtani.
LBB> When did discussions around the 'Ask Atlas' platform begin? What was KLM keen to share with its audience?
Timo> The project kicked off in July last year. KLM’s goal was to find a way to provide existing and new KLM travellers with a personalised digital experience. KLM is a pioneering brand and has always been at the forefront of embracing new technologies, so they were keen to explore the benefits AI could bring.
LBB> How has the brand used new technology in the past, and why was using AI a perfect opportunity for this campaign?
Timo> KLM always seeks new ways to engage with their audience. During our collaboration with iFly Magazine, we worked with technical applications that were new at the time, such as a dynamic digital magazine (2011), travel in VR (2012) and a podcast platform (2018). With the help of AI, we now could explore new ways to personalise that online brand experience for KLM. It allows for a variety and scale of personal and on-brand content that has never been seen before. ‘Ask Atlas’ represents the future of travel inspiration.
LBB> With over 15 years of collaboration between Born05 and KLM, how did this position you to create something suited to the brand, with the brand’s values and aesthetics in mind?
Timo> In our time working with KLM, we’ve always focused on the inspirational aspect of travel. Showing the beauty of the world, with high-quality and immersive content. With the help of generative AI, the personalisation of it really takes off. In the past we’ve developed the digital magazine iFly for KLM, giving travellers ‘reasons to travel’. ‘Ask Atlas’ is truly about 'your reason to travel’. It marks the start of very personalised and unique content. It all came together now.
LBB> In terms of the website, can you talk us through some of the functionality and UX features you incorporated?
Timo> The cool thing about AI is the ‘magic’ of it, so it needed to feel truly surprising. We extended this by creating a UX that triggers your subconscious. What images are you attracted to? We’re seeing that users really engage with that. 60% of visitors go through the whole flow and 35% look up additional destination pages afterwards.
LBB> Something which is also significant is the audio alongside the website. Can you talk us through that a little bit?
Timo> Music really brings the experience to life, it’s a key creative choice. The track should uplift the mood of wandering and exploring. We picked a track that feels relaxed, so you can let the experience guide you.
LBB> When it comes to the imagery, how did you go about curating that?
Jorn> With over 60,000 AI-generated travel tips, it was quite a process to get text and imagery to coincide. On the one hand, we had the AI-generated written text and on the other hand the visuals of destinations that should enhance the experience and aren’t related to a specific place or topic. The trick was to inspire and balance the information out, with the ultimate goal to show the world at its best.
LBB> What was the most challenging part of bringing the website together?
Jorn> Crafting the AI. The AI was tasked with generating thousands of inspirational travel stories, which needed a rigorous process of fact-checking to ensure the accuracy of all information provided. To address this, we developed a custom pipeline that could simultaneously generate new content and verify its accuracy. Additionally, we trained the AI to select the best destinations that matched users’ interests. The corresponding travel stories consist of newly generated content mixed with pre-generated content from our pipeline.
We made sure these were not only contextually appropriate and consistent but also formatted correctly for real-time streaming. The custom pipeline enables personalised content at scale that would not have been possible without AI.
LBB> How has the KLM audience reacted to the site? Have any reached out about how it’s supported them with planning trips?
Sjors> ‘Ask Atlas’ helps you find your next destination. The platform has launched in one market but is on the brink of a worldwide rollout. The response so far is great. We see almost no dropoff, so people enjoy going through the experience from start to finish.
LBB> From here, what’s next for the KLM brand? Is there anything else to go along with the new website?
Sjors> For KLM, this is the first step in personalised AI. This technology makes the interaction with customers feel way more personal and tailored. We are excited to explore a broader use of AI for KLM.
Ask Atlas is the first of its kind. KLM took the opportunity to pioneer a concrete personalised application of generative AI.
