With the rise of virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri and their proficiency in answering questions about almost anything, can they provide solutions to inflation in the U.S.?

This question is based on two assumptions: Both have access to “big” databases, and the guidance about inflation offered by economists is unfulfilling. Why not ask Alexa and Siri? There might be some kernels of wisdom overlooked from reviews of the professional and academic literature on why inflation has lagged in recovery and might accelerate soon. Unfortunately, neither Alexa nor Siri could provide substantive insights about inflation, its behavior in the last few years or what it might do in the future.

Given a keen interest in hotel markets, our goal is to understand how hotels will perform should inflation finally become a major concern.