The corporate travel industry has spent the past few years watching sustainability slide down the priority list as artificial intelligence (AI) rises to the forefront of business transformation. At first glance, the two trends may appear to be in conflict, particularly given concerns about the environmental impact of energy-intensive data centres that power AI technologies.
However, travel technology leaders speaking at a recent Business Travel ESG Summit argued that AI and sustainability do not have to be opposing forces. Instead, they suggested that AI could ultimately become a catalyst for advancing sustainability goals across the travel sector.
Industry experts noted that the growing demand for computing power is likely to accelerate investment in renewable energy solutions as technology companies seek to lower operating costs and reduce environmental impacts. While the current expansion of AI infrastructure raises concerns about energy consumption, it could also drive innovation and large-scale adoption of cleaner energy sources.
Research cited during the summit pointed to the potential for AI to reduce overall emissions through greater efficiency and optimisation. According to findings from the International Energy Agency, widespread AI adoption could theoretically generate emission reductions that outweigh the increased emissions associated with data centre operations.
Despite this optimism, sustainability professionals acknowledge that environmental initiatives have lost momentum in many organisations. Industry surveys reveal a significant shift in priorities. While sustainability ranked highly among business travel professionals just a few years ago, more recent surveys show far fewer travel buyers listing sustainability among their top strategic priorities.
Experts attributed this decline to a combination of factors, including changing political and economic environments, shifting corporate objectives, and what has become known as “green-hushing”—where organisations continue sustainability efforts without actively promoting them or have embedded them so deeply into everyday operations that they are no longer viewed as separate initiatives.
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the challenge of data quality. Industry leaders argued that many organisations are struggling to meet sustainability commitments because they lack reliable, standardised data to measure progress effectively.
One of the longstanding challenges in the travel sector is the absence of consistent environmental reporting standards. Travel managers often encounter a wide range of sustainability certifications and eco-labels, making it difficult to compare suppliers and make informed decisions.
Experts emphasised that AI can play a valuable role in addressing these challenges by helping organisations consolidate and clean data from multiple sources, including travel management companies, expense systems, booking platforms, payment systems, and human resources databases. By creating a unified and accurate dataset, organisations can make smarter decisions about how, where, when, and why employees travel.
For example, AI can help solve common data management issues, such as identifying and matching different records that refer to the same hotel or supplier across multiple systems. This creates a more reliable “single source of truth” that supports both operational efficiency and sustainability reporting.
However, speakers cautioned that AI is not a cure-all. Poor-quality data remains a significant risk, and introducing AI without a strong data foundation can amplify existing inaccuracies. Inaccurate information fed into AI systems can become increasingly distorted as it moves through multiple layers of analysis.
As a result, organisations were encouraged to focus first on ensuring the accuracy of a small number of critical data points before expanding their use of AI-powered tools.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of using AI selectively. In some situations, traditional automation or human oversight may remain more effective and cost-efficient than deploying advanced AI solutions. The goal, experts argued, should not be to apply AI everywhere, but rather to use it where it delivers measurable value and supports broader sustainability objectives.
Looking ahead, industry leaders expressed confidence that sustainability will regain prominence as organisations move closer to their 2030 environmental commitments. Travel programmes that have continued investing in data quality and sustainability infrastructure, even during periods when environmental issues received less attention, are expected to be best positioned to achieve their targets.
The message from the summit was clear: sustainability and AI are not competing priorities. When supported by reliable data and implemented strategically, AI has the potential to strengthen sustainability efforts, helping organisations reduce emissions while improving efficiency across their travel programmes.
Source: businesstravelnewseurope.com
