How hologram humans are helping travelers find their way at Miami’s airport
The next time you find yourself lost at the airport, a hologram could help you find your way.
Though it sounds like something out of science fiction, Miami International Airport has unveiled several interactive, geo-aware 2D holograms. Using an AI chatbot powered by mapping platform Mappedin, they can answer questions from visitors looking to find places in the terminal.
Four human-like holograms, depicting two men and two women dressed in MIA attire, hover inside a transparent tube. The stations are located pre-security in areas of heavy foot traffic. Travelers can find them near TSA checkpoint four, the MIA Mover connection, Concourse J’s Customs area and at the greeters lobby for international arrivals.
“We’re so big, and we have so many passengers, that’s where something like this sells, because it helps people navigate this humongous monster that we are so blessed to manage,” said Ralph Cutié, director and chief executive officer of Miami International Airport.
The hologram system is among the first of its kind in airports. They can interact with passengers and can generate quick QR codes with navigation steps to a destination. They can also speak multiple languages.
To use the service, travelers hold down the voice button on a separate raised screen beside the hologram’s sectioned-off tube and ask questions into the attached microphone.
The goal is to improve customer service and movement through the terminal with easy-to-use and reliable technology, Cutié said.
The holograms are programmed to speak 40 languages and respond through text on the screen to over 100, according to MIA. In tests by the Miami Herald, the hologram responded with voice and text to English, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese, and with text alone to Mandarin and Japanese.
When asked for directions to the bathroom, lost and found, or a storefront in any language, the hologram gave options.
“Times are changing, man. You got to change with it,” Miami traveler Davon Johnson told a CBS News crew.
Passengers can still talk to a human to get information. Volunteers are often stationed at ‘Ask Me’ desks through the airport.
During a recent hour-long stretch at the airport, nearly every traveler chose to speak with a nearby person over waiting for the chatbot, giving the hologram a passing glance in their rush to TSA and their gate.
MIA describes the hologram stations as part of a trend of automating work to “free up” employees to work on other tasks. Cutié said the airport did not reduce jobs in adding the AI assistants.
“I’d rather just talk to a human being, because I don’t mind the interaction — that’s comfortable for me — but that’s just me,” said Cutié. “I know the way of the future is technology.”
Each hologram station costs $50,000. A yearly $35,000 fee covers licensing. The combined $235,000 spent so far is about the yearly salary of three or four mid-level employees. Cutié finds the cost worth it for an “employee” on the job 24/7.
After the initial rollout, MIA is now looking to add another five or six holograms to the terminals.
