How to plan a group trip with AI (and end the 200-message thread)

Planning a trip with friends usually means chasing people for dates, budgets, and a decision about where to stay. An AI in the group chat can help compare the options, but your friends still have to answer. nobody says their real budget, one person does all the research, and the decision never gets made. An AI in the group chat fixes all three, if you use it the right way.

Step 1: Put the AI in the chat, not in your DMs

If you plan alone with a chatbot and paste the result into the group, you've just become the person who does all the research, with extra steps. The point is to have the AI where the group already is. In SharedChat, start a Friends room and text the link; friends can read without an account and create a free account to reply.

Step 2: Get the constraints on the record

Ask everyone for three things in the thread: dates they can do, a real per-person budget, and one dealbreaker ("I won't share a bed," "I can't drive more than 3 hours"). People say honest numbers in a room with an AI referee that they'd never say to the group's loudest planner.

Step 3: Drop in the options and ask it to pick

Paste the two or three listings you're considering and say: "Pick one for 8 people, show the per-head cost and drive time, and say who gets the worst sleeping spot." Ask the AI to recommend one and explain the costs. Check the listing details yourself, especially fees, bed counts, and cancellation rules.

Step 4: Let it settle the tie

Split 4-4? Move it to a Settle It room and let the Judge rule. You can blame the robot for the verdict. Just don't assume everyone will accept it.

Step 5: Ask for the summary

"Give me the plan in five lines with who owes what." Pin it. That's the message people will read.