Etihad Airways signed a partnership agreement with Astra Tech to utilize the Botim chat application for flight bookings. Astra Tech acquired Botim last year.
Heaptalk, Jakarta — The national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Etihad Airways, collaborates with technology firm Astra Tech in terms of the use of AI technology in the Botim chat application to book flights as reported by Reuters. The collaboration was marked by the MoU signing that was carried out by representatives of both parties (05/02).
This collaboration allows airline customers to be able to book flight tickets by simply typing in the basic details of the services they need. Then the AI technology will complete the order itself.
Last year, Astra Tech bought Botim which recorded has 90 million registered users and 25 million monthly active users with an undisclosed value. Besides free video and voice calls, the app also offers money transfers within the UAE, phone recharges, and bill payments locally and internationally.
After the acquisition, Astra Tech said it would develop the app to help users pay bills and access government services, as well as order food and groceries. “Botim will be the first of its kind in the region to simplify interactions of hundreds of millions of users, allowing them to engage and transact seamlessly,” said Astra Tech Founder, Abdallah Abu Sheikh, following the acquisition of Botim, as cited on Bloomberg.
UAE blocks call from Skype, Whatsapp, FaceTime
Botim users have grown since the UAE, which is 85% of the population are foreigners, blocked calls from Skype, Whatsapp, and FaceTime. Botim is one of the few apps that UAE residents can use to make voice calls over the internet.
As a voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) app, Botim provides a generative pre-trained transformer (GPT). According to Astra Tech, Botim’s GPT is the first AI technology presented in Arabic. However, the GPT is also still available in English.
“Through the BOTIM GPT module developed by Astra Tech, flights and other travel-related services are integrated into the Botim app, offering a convenient and innovative way for customers to book Etihad flights,” stated Astra Tech as quoted by Reuters.
