Klook Supercharges Innovation at Scale with Generative AI from Google Cloud

Google Cloud and Klook, Asia’s leading platform for experiences and travel services, today announced a collaboration to amplify Klook’s activity content and customer engagement channels with generative AI from Google Cloud, starting with automated translation into 10 languages that captures both local-market nuances and Klook’s distinctive brand voice.

The initiative builds on a successful pilot program where Klook used Google Cloud’s PaLM 2 large language model via Google Cloud’s Vertex AI Model Garden to translate existing descriptions, tips, and other information about its merchants’ services into Simplified Chinese and Korean. The pilot achieved impressive results both in the accuracy of its translations, as measured by industry-standard assessment models for natural-language content generated by AI; and in capturing the local-market nuances of tone and voice as scored by Klook’s localization team of linguists and brand marketers.

To ensure that translations captured local nuances while adhering to its brand tone, Klook trained Google Cloud’s generative AI on previously-translated activity content from its platform, allowing it to generate translations in languages including Bahasa Melayu and simplified Chinese that were increasingly tailored to the team’s desired outputs. This saw the accuracy, local nuance and efficiency of translations improve at every iteration, giving Klook the confidence to scale its efforts across all activity-related content.

“We take great pride in being in-destination experts, from the moment our travelers begin their discovery of their dream holiday to the moment they book with Klook and ultimately throughout their in-destination experience. We are committed to make this entire journey seamless, effortless and in the language that best suits our travelers’ preferences,” said Bernie Xiong, CTO and co-founder, Klook. “Our pilot proved that with Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities, we can deliver this complete brand experience at scale without any compromise on content quality or accuracy. We will continue to innovate, bring new advancements for a more engaging platform, and solidify our standing as the brand of choice for travelers in Asia and beyond.”

Beyond translation, Klook will also explore Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities within its K.AI (Klook AI) chatbot for customer service to bolster the data security and accuracy of its increasingly complex interactions with customers, which include everything from travel recommendations to booking status and related transactions. The company also plans to introduce content generation using PaLM 2, creating a much faster and easier onboarding experience for vendors by automatically creating short-form descriptions and details about their activities. These benefits combined will also have a positive impact of internal employee productivity across teams within Klook.

To further enhance its data and AI capabilities, Klook will expand its use of BigQuery and Google Kubernetes Engine to power its analytics and applications organization-wide. Additionally, future generative AI deployments across Google Cloud and Google Ads will enable Klook to identify new opportunities for customer engagement with more personalized content and value-added services.

“Klook’s use of generative AI has the potential to significantly boost both internal productivity and customer engagement, enhancing the uniqueness of their brand and value proposition while also strengthening trust and security for their customers,” said Kathy Lee, managing director, Google Cloud in North Asia. “They’ve already gained a crucial first-mover advantage in personalizing and localizing travel experiences with generative AI, and we look forward to our continued collaboration to further strengthen their digital leadership with Cloud and AI across their business.”