eDreams ODIGEO Chief Technology Officer, Carsten Bernhard, joined fellow senior business leaders, policymakers, and AI experts to explore how this crucial technology can revolutionise business operations, bring major productivity gains and boost profits at the Financial Times’ flagship conference in London.
Following the AI Safety Summit which convened world leaders to discuss AI regulation, the global spotlight remains firmly on AI with the conversation continuing at the FT’s first Future of AI Summit. The event brought together representatives from government and the largest global brands to discuss how to apply, govern, integrate, scale, and commercialise AI.
As a pioneer of AI in online travel and e-commerce, eDreams ODIGEO was invited to share how the business is leveraging AI to revolutionise the travel experience. Carsten Bernhard joined a discussion, moderated by the FT’s Senior Business Writer Andrew Hill, alongside Volvo Group’s Analytics & Insights Leader, Jair Ribeiro to discuss how to infuse AI into the whole business.
Bernhard outlined that the Company’s forefront in AI is evident through its cutting-edge travel booking brands (eDreams, Opodo, GO Voyages, and Travellink). These platforms are powered by state-of-the-art technology that services over 2 billion monthly user searches, transforming the extensive offerings of the global travel market, including countless combinations with 700 airlines, into targeted, personalised proposals crafted for each individual customer: “There’s no way a human could process this volume of information. We have to find ways to translate that mass of data efficiently into targeted, relevant travel options for consumers. The only way to do this is through AI.”
He explained that for the past ten years, eDreams ODIGEO has comprehensively enhanced the traveller experience by deploying AI across the business. This strategic implementation ranges from customer-facing solutions, such as personalising the booking flow or automating flight disruption management, to empowering the extensive team of internal engineers with coding support. This multifaceted application not only drives innovation and streamlines the development of products and services but also expedites their delivery, swiftly providing increased value to consumers. As the business transitioned into a subscription-based model with a focus on cultivating long-term customer relationships, it has employed its proprietary AI models for various data augmentation cases. This includes crafting individualised route itineraries and propositions for its 5.2 million Prime subscribers.
When questioned about the cultural shift toward AI within eDreams ODIGEO, Bernhard explained that the Company embraced an AI-first approach a decade ago. Recognising the transformative potential of AI, the business understood that it could revolutionise the means through which it delights its customers and differentiates its products, features, and services. Bernhard noted “We started with a dedicated team experimenting and putting solutions in place in a managed, governed way. As we saw results coming in, this created momentum and trust on its own. For years now, we’ve integrated AI into all areas of the business, including marketing, customer service, product development, and more. We assign AI data scientists to every business area to address and deliver on business goals, providing value for both our customers and our business.”
Discussing what the future holds for consumer products and services in travel, Bernhard explained: “Our focus is on anticipating consumer needs and building bespoke proposals that solve those needs. It’s about having a personal travel concierge in your pocket who knows what you like and doesn’t waste your time with things that are not relevant to you. Through AI we’re able to personalise at scale and deliver targeted itineraries for our subscribers – based on their preferences, budgets, and timescales – which helps fuel the growth of our travel subscription platform.”
The business’s ability to provide a unique experience to its subscribers through AI has positioned it at the forefront of future growth. This approach cultivates enduring relationships with customers who show increased commitment due to the personalised experience they enjoy, resulting in more frequent bookings compared to non-subscribers (3.4x more).
Delegates at the event also heard insights from other prominent speakers, including IBM, Amazon, LEGO, Chegg, Mastercard, Bank of England, Tinder, and even the UK’s first Minister for Artificial Intelligence, RT Hon Viscount Camrose.
eDreams ODIGEO’s strategic investments in AI have positioned the business as a leader among AI-led companies globally, not just in the travel industry, but in the broader e-commerce sector. In May this year, the Company announced that it was working with Google Cloud to pioneer new developments in Generative AI and advance its application in online travel, one of the world’s largest e-commerce segments.
eDreams ODIGEO has integrated AI into other aspects of its operations to support both its customers and its distribution strategies, such as the virtual interlining route discovery and the improvement of the performance of machine learning solutions where actual data collection is costly such as fraud prevention, or in anticipation of hypothetical scenarios, such as demand simulations in fast-changing situations.
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