13.10.2025
Bulgarian researchers from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEBA) at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” presented innovative studies on artificial intelligence in tourism and education at the international conference ICAI’25.
Between October 9–11, 2025, the International Conference “Automatics and Informatics 2025” (ICAI’25) took place in Varna, where scholars from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and partner institutions presented two innovative papers focused on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in tourism and higher education.
Artificial Intelligence and Industry 5.0 in Tourism
Within the section “Industry 5.0 and Intelligent Business Models” Prof. Dr. Nevyana Krasteva from the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University, presented a paper entitled “Industry 5.0 – the Use of New Business Models and Artificial Intelligence in Tourism in Bulgaria”.
The study explores how AI and the concept of Industry 5.0 are transforming business approaches in tourism, placing people and human–machine collaboration at the center of technological progress. The main findings highlight that:
- Bulgarian tourists still have limited awareness of AI-based services, while tourism companies are rapidly adopting them;
- The most common applications include chatbots, virtual assistants, and dynamic pricing systems;
- Artificial intelligence enhances the personalization and efficiency of tourism services but also introduces new ethical and educational challenges;
- There is a need for targeted policies to train professionals and integrate AI into university curricula.
Gamification and AI in E-Learning
In co-authorship with Aleksandra Kovacheva (University at Albany, SUNY, USA) and Prof. Tsvetan Davidkov (Sofia University), Prof. Nevyana Krasteva presented a second paper titled “Gamification and AI: Rethinking E-Learning Experiences”. The research focuses on how generative artificial intelligence can support the implementation of gamification in e-learning.
The study analyzes the results of a national survey among 114 university lecturers and reveals that:
- 94.7% of respondents expressed interest in using AI to design gamified learning experiences;
- Most educators demonstrate a high level of technological readiness but possess limited practical knowledge on how to combine AI and gamification;
- The use of AI can significantly lower barriers to innovative course design by facilitating the creation of game scenarios, missions, and interactive exercises.
The authors propose a professional development model for educators, which includes micro-trainings, sample libraries of ChatGPT prompts, and a community for experience sharing.
Contribution and Significance
Both papers underscore the growing role of artificial intelligence as a catalyst for transformation in key societal sectors—tourism and education. They demonstrate the practical benefits of AI while emphasizing the need for ethical, sustainable, and human-centered integration in line with the principles of Industry 5.0.
The studies are funded by the National Science Fund (Contract No. КП-06-Н85/3 dated 05.12.2024).