PHOENIX -- Expedia Group CEO Ariane Gorin said her company is employing artificial intelligence "across the board."
Speaking at the Phocuswright Conference, she said consumers can use AI before or during trips to help budget and explore destinations. Expedia brand call center agents will have access to AI tools. Internal teams are using it for development. There are uses for advertisers and owners of vacation rentals. It is embedded in the Travel Agent Affiliate Program.
"It's going to be everywhere, and we need to test it everywhere," she said. "Some of it will work, some of it won't. We will learn by testing."
Expedia is not alone. AI was the topic du jour at Phocuswright, mentioned by almost every speaker at the travel tech conference, from legacy companies to startups, from back-office systems to consumer-facing booking apps.
Julie Farago, Google's vice president of engineering, showed how she planned a trip to San Diego for her family using Google tools, including its AI, Gemini.
Former Expedia CEO and founder of Pine5 Partners Erik Blachford compared current times to 1993-96, when the Internet was just becoming available to consumers through dial-up services and then the World Wide Web.
As for doubters, he noted, "Vested interests are always going to be skeptical, but if any of you young people work for a company that says AI doesn't matter, I suggest you look for another job. You absolutely can't stop it. The genie is out of the bottle."