United Airlines sets its flight plan for gen AI success [Video]

The Chicago-based airlines has moved beyond the pilot phase with production LLMs built on a strong data foundation in the cloud.

Credit: Jason Birnbaum / United Airlines

CIO Jason Birnbaum has ambitious plans for generative AI at United Airlines.

With the core architectural backbone of the airline’s gen AI roadmap in place, including United Data Hub and an AI and ML platform dubbed “Mars,” Birnbaum has released a handful of models into production use for employees and customers alike.

Chief among these is United ChatGPT for secure employee experimental use and an external-facing LLM that better informs customers about flight delays, known as “Every Flight Has a Story,” that has already boosted customer satisfaction by 6%, Birnbaum notes.

The flight-status service, released earlier this year, gives customers faster, more transparent and context-rich information about flight delays and updates, the CIO says. United has used the storytelling LLM to send out more than 100,000 digital notifications to …