Ask AI Lison To Support Racegoers Around the Clock

York Racecourse has introduced Ask AI lison, a new AI-powered digital concierge designed to help racegoers find useful information quickly and easily at any time of day.

Visitors can ask AI lison questions using text or voice and receive immediate guidance drawn from information approved by the York Racecourse team.

The service can help with common questions about fixtures, tickets, getting to the racecourse, accessibility, hospitality, dress codes, food and drink, and planning a day at York.

Unlike a traditional automated chatbot, AI lison is designed to communicate in a friendly and conversational way that reflects the warm Yorkshire welcome we hope visitors receive from the team, in real life.

If AI lison does not have enough approved information to answer a question, or if the enquiry requires personal assistance, she will direct the visitor to the York Racecourse team.

During the measured period from 7 July to 25 August 2026, AI lison handled over 7,000 unique visitor conversations which contained more than 30,000 question-and-answer exchanges.

Some 93% of those conversations were handled without needing assistance from a member of the team, leaving them able to deal with the more complicated enquiries.

Nearly half of the interactions took place outside normal office hours, demonstrating the demand for helpful visitor information during evenings, weekends and overnight.

James Brennan, Head of Marketing at York Racecourse, said:

“She (and I think of her as a “she”) adopts the same welcoming, conversational tone as our in-real-life team.”

In the background we can review the questions being asked, meaning we can add or update approved information using a straightforward management system. This allows the service to reflect changes to fixtures, facilities and raceday arrangements without requiring technical development. For example, during the hot weather we varied the dress code and this could reflected in her answers immediately.

Ask AI lison was developed with The Digital Hub, a Yorkshire-based digital development company and long-standing technology partner of York Racecourse.

The relationship has continued for more than a decade and has included the development and support of bespoke ticketing, e-commerce and operational technology used by the racecourse.

The latest project forms part of York Racecourse’s continued investment in technology that improves the experience of racegoers while allowing its team to concentrate on enquiries that require personal attention.