Artificial intelligence is making strides in corporate travel, but it is far from being fully implemented
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used in corporate travel management, although its adoption remains limited. About three out of every four organizations use this technology in some form in their travel programs, but less than 10% have incorporated it into multiple processes or strategic decision-making.
This is evident from the survey on artificial intelligence conducted by Business Travel News (BTN), which analyzes how corporate travel managers are using this technology, which applications they consider most valuable, and to what extent the investments made are yielding results. BTN supplemented the study with interviews with buyers, suppliers, and technology experts to assess the sector?s level of maturity.
The results show that a significant portion of companies remain in a phase of experimentation. More than half of the organizations already using AI?and 38% of all respondents?continue to explore possible applications or develop pilot projects, rather than expanding their use on a larger scale.
According to BTN, this situation is consistent with the level of maturity of artificial intelligence across the business sector as a whole. Less than 10% of organizations have managed to scale their use across different functions.
The most effective applications are not the most widely used
The study also highlights that the most widespread applications are not necessarily the ones rated highest for effectiveness. Traveler support and chatbots are used by 52% of respondents, while 44% rely on AI for reporting-related tasks.
In contrast, expense auditing and fraud detection, used by less than 30% of buyers, receive the highest effectiveness rating, with 4.07 points out of 5. The results thus reflect a difference between the most widely adopted applications and those where companies perceive better results.
Return on Investment, Still Pending
One of the main challenges remains determining the return on investment (ROI). Only about 21% of travel programs formally measure the performance of their investments in artificial intelligence. Many organizations believe it is still too early to do so, although among those that do measure it, the majority report positive returns.
AI governance is also in its early stages. 29% of organizations have formal policies regarding its use in corporate travel, a percentage that increases significantly as the size of the travel program grows.
At the same time, applications are beginning to evolve from tasks focused on productivity and automation toward functions with greater capacity to intervene in processes. In addition to chatbots, report generation, and audits, new uses are emerging related to real-time decision-making, compliance with corporate policies, and workflow coordination.
From Reactive Models to Predictive Processes
Incident management, procurement processes and requests for proposals (RFPs), and risk monitoring are some of the areas where adoption is currently lower. However, BTN identifies potential in these areas to evolve from reactive models toward predictive processes supported by artificial intelligence.
The next stage in the adoption of this technology is focused on integration. The most advanced programs are beginning to connect data on travel, expenses, and payments within common workflows.
This evolution involves moving from isolated tools toward models in which artificial intelligence can coordinate different processes. After an initial phase marked by experimentation and pilot projects, the corporate travel sector now faces the challenge of integrating the technology and achieving measurable results.