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Can AI help budget a family vacation?

WLWT turns to UC's Applied AI Lab director for tips

headshot of Emily Glass By Emily Glass
2 minute read May 21, 2025

Travel season is here, and planning vacations can be time-consuming and expensive. 

WLWT asked Jeffery Shaffer, Director of the Applied AI Lab and Assistant Professor-Educator at Lindner College of Business, for advice on how to use generative AI to plan a getaway. 

Shaffer told WLWT that he thinks generative AI tools, such as Perplexity, can be a huge time-saver. 

"I'd rather go watch an episode of something on TV or go take my dog for a walk, or something else that I would enjoy much better," Shaffer said. "So, for me, it's all about what I can do with the certain amount of time that I have."

Shaffer suggested instead of treating the prompts like a search engine, to message it like you would a person. He said it is less intimidating once you understand how to work with it for your own needs. 

Read the full story on WLWT.

Featured image at top of a sylized AI chatbot. Photo/iStock/hirun

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