Photo by Miami-Dade Aviation Department
Audio By Carbonatix
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Miami International Airport (MIA) may have mystery liquids gushing from the ceilings and non-functioning elevators, walkways, and escalators, but don’t worry: it will soon get an AI-powered hologram chatbot (whatever that may mean).
According to a Miami-Dade County press release, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava will unveil the “first-of-its-kind” AI-powered hologram chatbot at the eMerge Americas technology conference on Thursday, April 23, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The technology will mark “a major milestone in how Miami-Dade County is using artificial intelligence to transform public service,” it adds.
“With this launch, MIA becomes the first airport in the world to deploy large-scale geo-aware, agentic AI across its digital infrastructure, enhancing the passenger journey through real-time, location-based intelligence and natural, conversational interaction across web, mobile, kiosks, and on-site interfaces,” the press release reads.
After news of the airport technology hit the X-sphere, formerly known as the Twittersphere, many Miamians shared their thoughts. They certainly had questions, particularly how much this new technology will cost the county and if it will help fix the broken infrastructure all around the airport.
“This doesn’t upgrade the passenger experience at all and is more evidence of the county wasting taxpayer funds on third parties and party tricks rather than addressing the fact that the airport looks like a third-world bus depot from the 70s,” one X user responded.
Another added, “Cool story! Can you please fix the people movers now?”
One quipped, “But they [sic] escalators and elevators are constantly broken. Priorities.”
One X user wanted to know: “I wonder if the chatbot can answer when all the moving walkways and escalators be repaired?”
A different X user got creative in the meme department.
Aside from the elevator, escalator, and walkway breakdowns, MIA was recently ranked among the nation’s most stressful airports by the travel technology company Mozio.
However, improvements are supposedly on the way. Over the next ten years, MIA is undergoing a $9 billion renovation to modernize the airport, completely redevelop the central terminal, build a new concourse that expands the south terminal, renovate concourse D gates, and, most importantly, upgrade all of the airport’s elevators, escalators, and moving walkways.
The renovations will allow the airport to welcome more than 77 million travelers and four million tons of freight by 2040, according to MIA.
