Travel technology giant Amadeus is working with Microsoft and professional services firm Accenture to pilot a new AI-enabled digital assistant to help business travellers using the Cytric Easy travel and expenses platform through Microsoft Teams.
Amadeus and Microsoft, which last year started to integrate Cytric into the Microsoft 365 suite of tools, will use generative AI to help corporate travellers to complete “complex travel-related tasks” using so-called “natural language”.
The pilot project with Accenture will see Microsoft technology, including its Azure Open AI Service, Microsoft 365 and Teams, being harnessed to allow travellers to plan, book and manage their trips through a chatbot, which will use a “conversational style” to ask for clarifications and suggest the “most appropriate” travel or itinerary options.
“The assistant will align travellers’ preferences with employers’ policies for a more efficient and cost-effective experience,” explained Amadeus in a statement.
Rudy Daniello, executive vice president at Amadeus Cytric Solutions, said: “The new generative AI-powered chatbot will offer an enhanced way to book business travel, moving from a standard sequential display with pre-determined filters to a dynamic, interactive conversational interface powered by ChatGPT.
“When fully realised, business travellers will be able to book trips with even greater ease, saving time.”
Miguel Flecha, managing director at Accenture, said that the collaboration “accelerates the integration of generative AI-powered solutions in the travel industry, driving innovation and reinvention”.
Also being developed is a Cytric Easy plug-in for Microsoft 365 Copilot, which is the AI assistant feature for Microsoft 365 applications and services. This will allow colleagues to match and book travel itineraries within a single workflow in Microsoft 365 using natural language “prompts”.
Feliz Montpellier, general manager, global partners at Microsoft, added: “AI is reshaping industries like travel and transforming how we work. Through expanded integrations between Microsoft and Amadeus, we will create more value for corporations and much more personalised and productive experiences for travellers.”