"Book me a ticket to Jungfraujoch on September 24th. I want to be at the top early in the morning and spend three hours there. I have a Half-Fare card, my name is Manfred Bacher, and I'm starting from Interlaken Ost."
I couldn't believe it. A single sentence - and the system was supposed to handle a complete train booking? When I tested the new agent mode of GPT-5 with the Jungfrau Railway website out of professional curiosity, I was skeptical.
In a nutshell
AI agents revolutionize bookings: One sentence instead of endless forms
Available since July 2025 (OpenAI Plus)
Websites need "Agent Experience" in addition to User Experience
Practical example: My experience booking a ticket to Jungfraujoch
What I experienced during the first live demo
Booking agents work differently from anything I've seen in 15 years of digital projects. Instead of clicking through menus step by step, you simply talk to the system.
What amazes me: The AI agent doesn't just understand the words. It recognizes the intention. "Early in the morning" automatically becomes "first trip of the day". "Spend three hours there" triggers the corresponding return trip. The Half-Fare card is taken into account without having to activate it separately.
Speed is yet to come
Today, the agent still takes significantly more time than if I had booked directly on jungfrau.ch. For a simple booking, I'm still faster myself.
But this is changing rapidly. As more websites are optimized for agents and the technology becomes faster, the process will become more efficient. And if I'm honest: If I were to research offers in advance, an agent would already have the advantage today.
My aha moment: Humans think differently from agents
This test makes me realize: We need to rethink. Radically. For 20 years, I've been optimizing websites for humans. User Experience was everything: clear navigation, understandable buttons, intuitive forms. Now suddenly, not only humans are interacting with the website, but also their digital assistants.
Agent Experience becomes a success factor
What I'm learning: Agent Experience (AX) works completely differently from User Experience. Humans scan pages visually. Agents read structured data. Humans click through. Agents look for direct paths to information.
For years, we've optimized interfaces for human psychology. We hide complexity, break processes into small steps, and create emotional flows. A 3-step checkout feels easier for humans than a page with 20 fields.
For agents, the opposite is true. They want all the data at once, no artificial subdivisions, direct access to functions. What feels reassuring for humans - progressive disclosure, guided paths - is an obstacle for agents.
The realization: Many of our most thoughtful user journeys are detours for agents.
What this means for booking platforms
After months of working with AI agents, I see three critical changes:
Agents choose the best platform Humans are loyal to brands. Agents are loyal to efficiency. They automatically choose the platform that works best - not the most well-known.
Invisible optimization becomes important What humans don't see suddenly becomes crucial: clean code, structured data, clear information architecture. Agents evaluate what lies beneath the surface.
Control remains with humans Despite all automation: Sensitive data and payment processes remain in human hands. The art lies in the seamless transition between agent and human.
My recommendation: Act now
I'm convinced: The AI revolution in the booking industry is already underway. Those who wait will lose out. At Unic, we support companies in optimizing their websites for both worlds - for humans and for agents.