American Express Global Business Travel Now Introduces New AI-Powered Virtual Agent and Reporting Solutions for Travel Management

American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) has introduced two new AI-powered solutions to enhance customer servicing and support the travel programme. These new features consist of a large language model (LLM)-backed virtual agent and natural language query (NLQ) combined with Egencia Analytics Studio.

The virtual agent is designed to deliver real-time assistance to passengers, creating a more intuitive, conversational user experience with an AI-powered chatbot that can understand and provide intelligent responses to wide-ranging requests. It was developed to assist in multiple languages so that it can be used in English, French, Spanish, German and has been used worldwide.

Added to that, the new feature means travel managers can easily query Egencia Analytics Studio for in-depth program data, ask questions about their program in natural sounding language. This development will make analyzing data and creating reports through question asking in natural language accessible, simple and immediate.

LLM-Powered Virtual Agent: Enhancing Customer Support

One of the biggest new elements is the LLM-powered virtual agent, now available within the Egencia platform. This virtual assistant is trained to understand context and answer more complex questions that travelers commonly ask, including how to reset a password or add a frequent flyer number to a profile. The virtual agent is trained with the help center content to produce coherent and relevant responses for a range of question.

The virtual agent was rolled out to Egencia customers and is part of a larger enterprise initiative by Amex GBT to enhance customer self-service choices. In a trial period, 32% of customers using the virtual agent self-served and did not have to speak with a travel consultant helping to be more efficient and decrease customer wait times.

Natural Language Query: Streamlining Travel Management Analytics

Amex GBT The second major first from Amex GBT is a feature coming in the Egencia Analytics Studio: Natural Language Query (NLQ). With this addition also comes the ability for travel managers to perform data analysis with much less effort just by entering conversational queries like, “Show me the quarterly spend for the past seven quarters.”

The system also allows for more complex queries through the ability to ask for multiple metrics in one go. For instance, a user may ask, “What is the spend, transaction count, and average ticket price (ATP) for air travel in Paris for 2024?” This means no more fussing with complicated filters or spreadsheets, and instead gives you immediate ideas you can use in a cleaner, friendlier format.

It’s a beta feature and will be available natively in 2026. Part of Amex GBT’s overall effort to make organizing travel data easier, the integration of NLQ gives travel managers an intuitive capability to manage their company-wide travel programs and better understand spending habits.

Data Science and AI-Driven Solutions: Empowering Travel Management

Amex GBT’s team say the introduction of AI-driven capabilities including the LLM virtual agent and NLQ capabilities are examples of Amex GBT’s continued investment in improving customer support and making it increasingly easier to manage travel programs. By minimizing the reliance on human agents for routine questions, the virtual agent can make it easier for travel consultants to prioritize more complicated duties.

What made these innovations successful is the analytics and data science team at Amex GBT, which has conducted an enormous amount of testing and iteration on these tools to ensure they meet the industry standard of performance. This improvement is part of the larger trend of AI towards incorporation and implementation in the travel and tourism; advancing technology is enabling companies to maintain control over their travel program while simultaneously enhancing the customer experience.

Looking Ahead: The Future of AI in Travel Management

As Amex GBT evolves its AI solutions, the company is looking to pave the way in offering smarter, more instinctive ways for corporations to manage business travel. The virtual agent and NLQ capability is only the start of a larger movement towards AI-powered tools that will revolutionize how travel is managed in the future.

The company has expressed its commitment to more innovation in the next few years, including more AI powers in all of its travel products, saying its goal is to deliver smooth, frictionless travel experiences for both travel managers and travelers alike.

Conclusion: A Shift Towards Smarter, More Intuitive Travel Management

The LLM-enabled virtual agent combined with the NLQ data feature, Amex GBT said, paves the way for the next wave of AI-driven corporate travel management. These new features not only enhance the traveler experience, but they also help travel managers analyze and optimize their travel programs.

Profiling and predictions As AI advances, and, in particular, the industry explores the potential of predictive analytics, GBT’s investment in the technology aligns with their dedication to offering solutions designed to make travel more efficient and experience-led. Introduction of these tools is a significant leap forward in the continued evolution of business travel management.

(Source:American Express Global Business Travel)