AI a service enhancer, not a staff replacer: Las Vegas Sands CEO

Las Vegas Sands Corp is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve customer engagement and operational efficiency, but sees the technology as supporting rather than replacing the people delivering service at its resorts, says chairman and chief executive Patrick Dumont. “We are a human capital business,” Mr Dumont (pictured) said in an interview with Bloomberg published on Friday. Asked whether AI could lead to workforce reductions, he stated: “That’s not really how we look at it. I think we look at it from the standpoint of making us better at what we do.” Las Vegas Sands is the parent of Macau casino operator Sands China Ltd and also controls the Marina Bay Sands casino resort in Singapore. The CEO said employees remained essential to the group’s hospitality offering. “You need people who really care about the customer, who are focused on service, and who show up every day and are consistent,” he stated. “And that’s not going to be replaced by AI, that’s going to be enhanced by AI, so we can do it better,” he added. The executive said AI was already helping the group analyse customer interactions and refine its approach to reinvestment, including promotional offers and the overall guest experience. “There are a lot of things you can do with business intelligence… that make you smarter about the way you choose to interact with your customer,” he said. Mr Dumont also highlighted the use of AI as an employee productivity tool and to accelerate the development of proprietary software, including internal marketing applications. “It just makes it much faster, much cleaner, and really, to be fair, easier to change and adapt,” he stated. “It’s early days for us, but we’re starting to see some very interesting things from it and we’re very happy we’re pursuing it,” the CEO added. Mr Dumont also expressed continued confidence in Macau’s longer-term prospects, highlighting the group’s non-gaming investment and renovations at The Venetian Macao. Such investment would, he said, “create new experiences” that lead to an increase of repeat customers and “bring more visitors from farther away into Macau”.