Executives see potential for larger role

Executives of American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) and Amadeus said their companies are already using generative AI for some functions but are still waiting for further developments to expand its role.

Speaking on a panel at the Skift Data + AI Summit, Marilyn Markham, vice president of AI strategy and information for Amex GBT, said the company is still experimenting with AI and “doesn’t trust” the technology with certain tasks at this point. A few “use cases,” she said, are being tried to see how well AI can perform.

Similarly, Rodrigo Acuna Agost, head of research and AI Center of Excellence for Amadeus, said the company is in production with small functions, with the next step voice activation. Amadeus is also experimenting with systems being able to communicate in different languages — for example, one speaking English and the other French.

Markham said AI is being used as a travel policy assistant, which can save time because each of Amex GBT’s clients has a different travel policy. With AI primed with the appropriate data, she said, the technology can save travel agents time. In addition, AI has been helpful,  said Markham, with frequently asked questions from customers. Since the technology is not 100% accurate, there is always a fallback to human input.

Agost said AI can be very helpful for: saving time, reducing the number of phone calls, answering frequently asked questions and insurance that travel policies are followed.

As for whether AI is a money saver, Markham said that since there is such heavy investment required, it’s still early to figure out whether it’s a big money saver even if it does save money once implemented.