AI vs. Vanlifer: Who Takes Us on the Ultimate Road Trip?

AKA another blog post about AI.

The Setup

On a 90-degree morning in Joshua Tree, CA, I started a group chat with a few adventurous friends to see if anyone would be interested in escaping the heat to go on a fully planned road trip through Southern Utah. The only catch? Agreeing to fill out a survey, rating each spot on a variety of evaluation criteria.

Little did they know that the destinations along the route had been divided into two sets: one meticulously curated by a seasoned vanlifer with five+ years of nomadic experience known on the road as Neal the Earthling, and the other generated using the exponentially evolving capabilities of ChatGPT. My friends had no clue who suggested each spot, or that AI was involved in the planning of this trip, a valiant effort to increase the already low odds of a fair and unbiased evaluation. Welcome to the experiment.

The Competitors

The Prompt

The following prompt was given to both ChatGPT and Neal the Earthling:

Please generate recommended stops and things to do on or near the route. Please consider the following points:

1. You are encouraged to also propose stops in between locations
2. Your proposed stops will be rated across of a variety of factors including value, novelty, aesthetics, and emotional impact
3. Your recommendations should be very specific
4. You are in a competition with experts in these areas, so please capitalize on your value as [a human, artificial intelligence]

The Route

The Route (Generally Speaking) and Proposed Stops [1] by Contributor

The Evaluation Criteria

1. Worth the trip
2. Beauty
3. Vibes
4. Emotional Impact
5. Uniqueness
6. Caravan Influence

The Strategy

During the road trip planning process, Neal took a proactive approach by carefully considering various factors. He looked ahead on the map, focusing on state parks and hikes as primary points of interest. To ensure the best overall experiences, he then cross-referenced Google Maps with AllTrails to gauge hike quality and iOverlander to quantify available campsites nearby. Neal diligently read reviews for state parks, national monuments/parks, hikes, and points of interest while also considering daily weather conditions.

He mentioned that while some places may not have the best average review, a unique aspect or recommendation from a single review could keep them on the list. He valued the input and emotions of fellow travelers, engaging in discussions throughout the day to gauge everyone’s preferences and guide decisions in real-time. Neal noted that while ChatGPT could scan the map faster, it lacked the ability to comprehend human sentiments and experiences expressed in reviews and group interactions. He emphasized the importance of personal interactions- by being personable and curious when approaching park rangers and locals, he was able to obtain real-time updates which helped shape his decisions.

For example, at Neal’s recommended stop, Red Canyon, he went into the info center to use the restroom and ended up gabbing with the rangers for an hour — by the end, the rangers were the proud owners of stickers advertising Neal’s latest book and Neal owned a park map covered in highlighter markings. This interaction brought us to an unassuming trailhead that led to one of the best hikes on the trip, along with a side trail to a hidden land bridge that we would have otherwise never found or even known to look for.

“I don’t want them to tell me what they tell all the other tourists. I usually ask ‘If you only had one or two days, what would you do?’ It starts the conversation and I ask more questions, well why this one and why not this one? They end up putting different colors on the whole map for you — it leads you to only good things.

You could ask ChatGPT all the same questions, right? And ChatGPT will give you the answer, but it’s going to be more generic — it just is. You talk to three different people, they give three different answers, and they’ll have the reasons why. The interpersonal aspect of talking to someone who knows the area will be able to show you things the robot never could because they’ve hiked the trail 100 times — they’ll call out the side trail off the main trail that will take you to an experience that is memorable and transformative.” — Neal the Earthling

Neal highlighted the limitations of relying solely on AI tools, emphasizing the need for common sense, road knowledge, and satellite imagery to determine the best routes. He prioritized spontaneity and adjusted his plans based on road closures and the feasibility of certain destinations. While acknowledging the potential benefits of AI, he believed that the current capabilities of ChatGPT were limited and that integrating it with Google Maps would be more helpful. He recognized that each tool has its strengths and advocated for using any available tool to enhance his capability in trip planning.

“Life is about impermanence and change is constant — if you’re open and accepting to change, then you become more powerful in your being because you have more tools accessible to you — these tools don’t limit our capability, they open up capabilities” — Neal the Earthling

Ultimately, he valued the uniqueness and transformative experiences that personalized interactions and local expertise could provide, rather than relying solely on generic recommendations.

When collaborating with ChatGPT to develop the itinerary, I tried to focus on making the prompt as clear as possible. To be frank, it took multiple iterations to achieve the desired response from ChatGPT, and the part I found myself having to push hardest on was getting off-the-beaten-path suggestions.

ChatGPT leans on its strengths: massive amounts of knowledge that can be parsed through very quickly. It drew upon its extensive knowledge base, which encompasses travel guides, websites, and other reliable sources of information. It analyzed the details provided in my prompt, such as the starting point and desired destinations like Zion National Park and Capitol Reef National Park, along with the criteria upon which the spots would be evaluated on.

“Overall, my process involves a combination of understanding the context, leveraging existing knowledge, generating creative ideas, considering variety, and tailoring suggestions to create a well-rounded and exciting road trip itinerary.” — ChatGPT

To ensure the accuracy and relevance of the suggestions, ChatGPT claims it conducted real-time research, taking into account the current state of national parks and verifying the availability of attractions — I don’t entirely buy this, as it did suggest a location whose entry road was closed due to flooding. All in all though, it provided a well-rounded itinerary by considering different types of experiences, including geological formations, national parks, historical sites, and unique landmarks.

Through this collaborative process, ChatGPT exhibited its impressive ability to combine existing knowledge, analyze context, and conduct thorough research. Together, we crafted an engaging itinerary that catered to our preferences and led to an immersive exploration of Southern Utah’s beauty.

The Results

Stops suggested by both ChatGPT and Neal the Earthling significantly outperformed stops suggested by each alone [2].

As the journey unfolded, it became less and less clear how the experiment would turn out or if there would even be any conclusions to be drawn. Each day, we stopped at increasingly breathtaking locations, somehow finding spots even more beautiful than the last, but asking sleepy vanlifers to perform data entry at the end of the day was a textbook buzzkill.

Upon analysis, it became evident that the spots suggested by both Neal the Earthling and ChatGPT consistently outperformed those recommended by only one of them. This makes sense, as these spots have two independent votes of confidence, but it was still a testament to the power of collaboration between human intuition and AI capabilities. The union of experience and cutting-edge technology resulted in an adventure that was unlike any I’ve experienced.

Distributions and Raw Scores by Contributor and Evaluation Criteria [3]

Limitations

1. Small sample sizes
2. Not enough data
3. Uneven distribution between contributors
4. Uneven number of survey responses by spot

We did the best with what we had; however, more stops and more participants would have certainly increased the quality of the analysis. For full transparency, here are stats on the raw data we’re working with:

(Locations Hidden to Protect Land)

Conclusion

This experiment unearthed the value potential of AI in travel and adventure planning. ChatGPT’s ability to scour vast amounts of data very quickly proved invaluable. By complementing ChatGPT’s insights with Neal’s emotional connection to the road, we harnessed a revolutionary approach to personalization and discovery. The road less traveled became our playground, as AI widened our horizons while Neal deepened them.

While the combined knowledge of human and AI proved remarkable, it was impossible to overlook the role played by the seasoned vanlifer: Neal the Earthling. Neal’s expertise and finely tuned intuition added an irreplaceable dimension to the experience. There were moments when his guidance led us to awe-inspiring places off the radar of any algorithm. Neal’s connection with the road, intentional efforts to show kindness to and learn from locals, along with his innate ability to capture the essence of a location made our journey truly unforgettable.

Beyond the Road

The implications of this experiment extend beyond road trips. As AI continues to advance, the collaboration between humans and machines becomes increasingly potent. We are entering an era where the power of collective intelligence can elevate our decision-making across many domains. From road trips to complex medical research, the partnership between human expertise and AI algorithms holds a key to unlocking new frontiers of innovation and perspective.

As a data scientist, AI terrifies me. I believe the rapid evolution of AI in conjunction with latent technochauvinism [4] is both a dangerous and overlooked combination that is on track to hurt our societies, disproportionately impacting our most vulnerable communities. I’d be lying if I didn’t also say that I find myself standing in reverence, awe, and excitement of the possibilities and power demonstrated just in the past few months — I see so much potential for some of the world’s most complex problems to be more understood using this technology. This train is careening forward whether we like it or not, and my coping strategy has been to actively seek and pursue applications of this technology that bring joy to people I love as a drop in the bucket against the applications I disagree with.

Our road trip experiment is just the beginning of a wild journey. As we reflect on the breathtaking landscapes, the shared laughter, and the adventures gained, we find ourselves standing at the threshold of a promising, but alarmingly uncharted future. My take? Let’s embrace the possibilities offered by AI while cherishing the unique perspectives and experiences that humans bring to the table. Together, maybe we can pave the way for a world where collaboration between humans and AI is not only the norm but the catalyst for groundbreaking achievements that benefit all.

Contact

For more AI road trip content, along with features on the best spots we found, follow me on Instagram (sophiasvanitas). I’m also sporadically on Twitter (hodsophia)

For professional inquiries, reach out to me on LinkedIn or via email (sophia.hodson@gmail.com)

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the original stewards of the land we traveled on including the Nuwuvi, Pueblos, Ute, Timpanogos peoples.

https://native-land.ca/

Thank you to my friend, Neal the Earthling, who joined this adventure with an open mind, unceasing generosity, and an enthusiasm for nature that spread to every person in the group.

Thank you to the dear friends who joined the caravan and gave me the opportunity to see this idea through. Each person brought something unique to the trip that made the whole thing work, and I’m so grateful to have been in the company of such amazing humans for these few weeks. Thank you all for going with the flow and filling out all my various surveys. You are each so appreciated. [5- see their details here, they are very cool people that are worth checking out]

Thank you to all the employees and rangers of the parks, both state and national. Your commitment to both preserving some of our nation’s most beautiful lands for future generations and sparking the love of nature in strangers is beautiful to see.

Thank you to Hex Tech for powering this analysis (along with all my other personal analyses) and making it easy to turn crazy code into sleek apps like this one to support this article.

The Details

[1] Coordinates jittered to protect land

[2]

[3] Note: Letting the data speak for itself here. To dig a little deeper into the statistical significance across contributor and evaluation criteria, I chose to apply a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by a Tukey’s HSD to control for multiple comparisons. These tests yield far less significance and this is likely due to the high number of pairs and the limited amount of data available. I was able to find significance when running individual two sample t-tests on select pairs of average scores that looked pretty different on the distribution visualizations (ex. emotional impact on spots suggested by ChatGPT and Neal versus either of them as individuals), but that started to feel a little too p-hacky for me.

So, in conclusion, while we can say that overall, Neal the Earthling and ChatGPT together statistically outperform themselves as individuals, it’s harder to draw that conclusion on the evaluation criteria level. See app for raw stats outputs.

[4] (the belief that technology is always the solution, Broussard 2018)

[5] Most of the people who made this trip what it was:

• Adil | adil.danawala | has a knack for starting profound conversations and makes me laugh so hard I cry
• Dena | dena.jane | the most authentically beautiful personality and hands down best hiking company you’ll find
• Ian | ithinkthereforeian | exemplifies spontaneity and adaptability by going with the flow and bringing kindness into whatever that may be
• Matai | mataiblacklock | finds the wildest adventures and can genuinely see the good in people better than anyone I know
• Nathan | nathan_flurry | the busiest person in my life, but he somehow finds the time to show up fully and authentically for the people around him. Also, lived in a Honda Fit for a year while starting a company that just graduated YC, no big deal
• Neal | nealtheearthling | my mentor for slow living who can always point out the beauty in life that I would otherwise have overlooked
• Tommy | tommy.wisdom | a role model for finding the fun in life and also the best outdoor hair stylist you will find both sides of the Mississippi
• Yulia | manysoulfulmiles | radiates love and possesses a unique talent for making others (people and animals) feel truly seen & heard, building profound connections with everyone she crosses paths with
• Zoya | zoyayaseka | a paragon of strength, independence, & wisdom who makes the time to ensure everyone is feeling cared for and supported

The dogs who made this trip what it was:

• Milo | milowigglesworth | little legend, has probably traveled more places than you
• Noor | senior_noor | the goobest boy, 11/10 camp guardian