American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) has announced a significant step forward to drive ‘purposeful innovation’ and ‘enhanced governance’ around artificial intelligence for clients and the corporate travel management ecosystem.
The Travel Management Company will harness AI technologies across four key areas – traveller care, finance, engineering and enabling a modern workplace. A new task force will be conducting assessments with legal, privacy, compliance, procurement and cybersecurity in order to advise on 'the new risks' introduced by AI.
The initiative is marked by strategic leadership appointments with Michael Esquibel spearheading technology strategy & engineering and Marilyn Markham as the new vice president of engineering and AI strategy. Their roles are crucial in driving AI integration across the company, aiming to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of services offered to clients. Erica Trevino and Jake Hautly have also been appointed to pivotal roles focusing on operations system strategy and finance systems optimization, respectively, highlighting the initiative's comprehensive approach to AI adoption.
Commenting on the initiative, Markham said: “Artificial intelligence will supercharge our colleagues and bridge a path to automation previously limited by the language-data barrier. Scaling AI for Amex GBT will unlock efficiencies and inspire product innovation to elevate user experiences for our colleagues, our clients and their travellers.”
The company says it “actively uses” proprietary AI across its portfolio of services. In 2020, Amex GBT acquired AI start-up 30SecondsToFly, which has been used to develop natural language processing in the company’s chat and email channels, while the company’s 2021 acquisition of Egencia from Expedia Group brought additional AI and data science expertise and enterprise capabilities.
“We are building a secure environment, applying robust testing, and partnering with the leaders of the AI revolution, so our employees and customers can feel confident that we are progressing responsibly,” said Amex GBT chief innovation and technology officer, David Thompson.
A number of companies have been introducing new AI-focused roles and initiatives within their organizations. In November, Flight Centre Travel Group announced the launch of an AI Center of Excellence alongside the creation of a role to lead AI for corporate travel.
