Pathfinders: Why AI, BI and automation matter for strategic corporate travel programmes

Data is one of the most powerful tools, but data alone isn’t enough; it’s what you do with it that counts.

The future of business travel won’t be about looking at what’s already happened, it will be about using technology to predict, optimise and transform the business travel experience which will be a blend of business intelligence (BI), artificial intelligence (AI), and automation to transform raw booking data, travel spend, and traveller behaviour data into actionable insights, to help customers optimise costs, improve traveller experiences and enhance policy compliance.

In this edition of Pathfinders, CTM’s Eric Ediger, Global Head of Automation Machine Learning, shares his thoughts on the power of AI, BI and automation and why these capabilities are going to be important for the success of a strategic corporate travel program.

AI is changing the corporate travel landscape

Just like others in the industry, we are also investing in AI and automation to deliver smarter and data-driven travel management. Solutions like AI-powered virtual travel assistants and operational automation technologies like email classification are already in play, streamlining workflows and improving efficiency. Whilst some AI capabilities are still in the proof of concept stage, they are the foundation of an exciting roadmap.

The power of AI-driven BI

Traditionally, BI has helped businesses analyse the data to reveal trends and inform smarter policy decisions, improve supplier negotiations and identify cost-saving opportunities. But AI-powered BI is now taking an extra step forward by shifting the focus from hindsight to foresight. It will be able to predict demand and personalise travel recommendations in real time to improve traveller satisfaction. Ultimately, it will help customers to be more proactive rather than reactive with decision-making.  The best TMCs will be those using these more advanced features to guide their roadmap to support customers in anticipating challenges before they arise and seizing opportunities.

As the industry continues to build and refine AI-driven solutions, it will also become important to evaluate your TMC’s commitment to AI and BI and ask whether their roadmap includes capabilities like dynamic pricing and predictive analytics, automated support and sentiment analysis, fraud detection and security and automated analytics surfacing insights that you could or should act on.

A compelling story for stakeholder buy-in

Securing stakeholder buy-in can be challenging, and this is where AI and BI teaming up will help build a data-backed story that resonates with decision makers. AI predicts value, BI proves it, and together they will create data-driven narratives for executives and budget holders. Every customer visit, sales trip and meeting has the potential to generate business value. By harnessing AI’s predictive power alongside BI’s historical insights, organisations will be able to showcase how travel spend drives revenue growth, opportunities for cost savings and reinforces employee engagement.

Decision-makers need clear and compelling information to act upon, not just to justify costs, but to strategically optimise the return on their business travel investments. This is why there are significant opportunities in fusing AI with BI.

The cost of AI: Is it justified?

The real question isn’t whether AI is expensive; it’s whether the value delivered outweighs the cost. AI doesn’t just enhance agility; it reduces inefficiencies and unlocks new opportunities for savings. When TMCs invest in AI, automation and BI, businesses can look forward to reaping the benefits such as better cost control, faster booking and approval, improved traveller experience and stronger compliance and risk management.

The future roadmap

TMCs are at different stages in their AI and BI journeys, but one thing is clear: those who don’t invest in their capabilities risk being left behind. We’re integrating AI, BI and automation across our operation, with solutions like Scout and automated workflows already driving efficiencies and this is only the beginning. The vision extends to encompassing robust predictive analytics, real-time personalisation and deeper BI integrations.  Businesses that embrace AI-driven insights will gain a competitive edge and those that don’t may find themselves struggling to keep up.

The question was never if AI, BI, and automation would change corporate travel. It already has. The question that needs to be asked is, how will your TMC’s roadmap shape the future of your corporate travel programme?