Ski Resorts are Turning to A.I. to Prevent Ticket Fraud

Ticket fraud is an issue that ski resorts have been seeking to address for quite some time, as shared lift passes, screenshots of tickets, and other methods have resorts questioning how to combat the problem. Now, resorts are turning to artificial intelligence technologies like SKIDATA’s to help prevent ticket fraud.

Lift operators at resorts may see thousands of people every day, making it a tall task to ensure each ticket being used belongs to its proper owner. Resort visitors are almost always in their ski gear as well, adding to the challenge of identifying pass swappers. That’s where SKIDATA’s A.I. comes in.

SKIDATA, based in Austria, has developed an A.I. that checks images and quickly marks passes that appear suspicious. Now, instead of checking thousands of passes each day, lift operators only need to check tickets that have a certain probability of fraud, reducing that number to roughly 10 to 15 ticket checks per day.

It is important to note that SKIDATA’s A.I. does not use facial recognition, but rather checks for similarities between ticket photos and meets data protection requirements. For example, if a skier were to use their ticket in the morning and pass it on to someone else later that day, that is something that the A.I. would detect.

Using A.I. for detecting ticket fraud follows the recent trend of A.I. making its way into snow sports. Recently, competition organizations like X Games and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) have experimented with using A.I. to assist with judging contests. Brands are also using A.I. to assist with creating graphics for their skis and snowboards. And it does not look like the A.I. train is slowing down any time soon.

• Related: X Games Changes History by Introducing A.I. Judging Assistant

As ski resorts continue to refine and test using A.I. in their daily operations, resorts believe that this new technology can help improve the overall guest experience. If successful, A.I. systems like SKIDATA’s could become the new standard on the slopes, another avenue for A.I.’s entry into the world of skiing.