AI promises to free travelers from generic recommendations, crowded destinations, and irrelevant choices. Yet travel reveals a broader shift: personalized systems do more than help us choose; they shape what enters our field of vision. Whether guided by inferred behavior or declared preference, they may leave us with fewer common experiences—and fewer unchosen encounters that might change who we are. William Powell Frith, The Railway Station (1862), oil on canvas. Royal Hollo

As AI adoption accelerates, its soaring energy demands and carbon footprint raise urgent concerns about sustainability, highlighting the...