Business travelers largely believe AI will make their travel experience more effective, but they are skeptical of the technology when it comes to tasks around some of the more personal aspects of travel, according to a study of 2,260 business travelers published by American Express Global Business Travel on Tuesday.
In the survey, conducted by Censuswide between Aug. 16 and Aug. 19, 95 percent of respondents said AI could enhance their travel experience. The biggest areas of enhancement included adding convenience, cited by 44 percent of respondents, cost efficiencies, cited by 43 percent, and streamlined expense management, cited by 41 percent.
Respondents also said AI had “great potential” to handle basic tasks, including simplifying flight choices, cited by 37 percent of respondents, and hotel selection, cited by 35 percent, according to Amex GBT.
Travelers were less gung-ho about AI personalizing their onboard flight services such as seats and meal preferences and choosing a hotel room, only cited by 29 percent and 23 percent of respondents, respectively. The biggest concerns around AI cited by respondents were data security (46 percent) and accuracy (44 percent).
“AI can be a powerful tool in creating efficiencies and automating time-intensive tasks before and during business trips,” Amex GBT chief technology officer David Thompson said in a statement. “To harness the full power of AI, businesses must address travelers’ concerns and consider privacy and accuracy every step of the way.”
Respondents in the survey travel on business at least three times per year and were divided evenly between the U.K. and the U.S.
