Travel industry integrates AI automation with human expertise

The travel industry is experiencing a shift as artificial intelligence integrates with traditional human services. Research from ALG Vacations indicates that while younger generations like Millennials and Gen Z show higher trust in AI recommendations, they also utilize travel advisors at higher rates than older generations. Travelers tend to rely on human experts when trips become complex, expensive, or when disruptions such as canceled flights occur.

In the corporate sector, American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) has introduced agentic AI tools to its management systems. Through the Egencia AI connector in Anthropic’s Claude, the company aims to replicate human travel assistants by allowing AI agents to search, book, and manage itineraries within AI environments. This development targets the massive global corporate travel market, which saw spending reach $1.6 trillion in 2025.