American Express Global Business Travel has assembled a team to focus specifically on artificial intelligence adoption across the travel management company.
The TMC's AI initiative is focusing on four areas—traveler care, finance, engineering and workplace modernization—and will be led by Marilyn Markham, Amex GBT's senior director of technology, who now has been named VP of engineering and AI strategy. Other members include VP of operations system strategy and optimization Erica Trevino, VP of finance systems strategy and optimization Jake Hautly and VP of technology services Neil Kirk.
The team will work alongside other departments including legal, privacy, compliance, procurement and cybersecurity to not only determine which technology solutions to use but also identify potential risks, according to Amex GBT.
"Delivering best-in-class service supported and simplified by technology has always driven our innovation agenda, but you cannot apply AI casually in the B2B environment," Amex GBT chief innovation and technology officer David Thompson said in a statement. "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."
Similarly in recent months, Flight Centre Travel Group established an "AI Center of Excellence" to focus on AI adoption and integration in the group's corporate travel businesses.