Corporate Travel 100 companies are engaging with Artificial Intelligence in pragmatic stages in 2025. The first wave centers on large language model chatbots that answer policy questions and guide required processes. Examples include No. 99 Takeda’s internally named bot “Tip,” along with similar converted functionality at No. 46 Toyota Motors North America, No. 23 Gilead, and No. 16 Microsoft. This early phase has focused on information access and guidance rather than automated action.
A second wave is emerging around Artificial Intelligence-powered booking. Business Travel News named McKinsey and Co. director of travel and events technology Jamie Stewart the 2025 Travel Manager of the Year for bringing the Skylink booking interface, built on large language models, directly into Slack workflows for McKinsey travelers. The approach advances Artificial Intelligence-driven personalization, compliance and cost controls by embedding booking where employees already collaborate, rather than forcing a separate tool.
The operational impact at McKinsey is notable. Working with Amex GBT, the Slack-based Skylink has drawn bookings equally away from the company’s traditional Concur channel and from live agents, and it has reduced average booking times to about 99 seconds from 12 to 15 minutes. No. 42 Sony is also working to implement Skylink as a booking interface, signaling broader interest in conversational booking that shortens cycle times and eases friction.
The next wave pushes further, with Artificial Intelligence evaluating conditions and taking informed actions on behalf of travelers and travel managers. No. 47 Salesforce is experimenting with the right parameters to safely delegate tasks to Artificial Intelligence after acquiring specialized firms in 2024. The team envisions multiple agents, each entrusted with specific activities, that can “talk” with one another to drive workflows. Salesforce is already in discussions with suppliers and service providers to connect internal agents to travel management company or supplier agents to trigger certain actions. While this remains a future state, it points to opportunities for travel managers to shape how employees experience business travel and to influence emerging standards for how programs are managed.
