Sabre Partners with Google for Artificial Intelligence Platform that it Calls a ‘Game-Changer’
by Daniel McCarthy /
Sabre on Thursday morning announced a new partnership with Google to develop a new artificial intelligence (AI) technology platform that it expects to be a “game-changer” for travel advisors using its platform.
The technology, called Sabre Travel AI TM, is expected to debut in early 2021 and, according to Sabre, “will re-define the way travel companies do business.”
“Sabre Travel AI is a game-changer,” Sabre Labs president Sundar Narasimhan said in a statement announcing the news. The technology will “turn the insights derived from analyses into repeatable, scalable operations” and is “a significant step toward achieving our 2025 vision of personalized retailing.”
“We are combining Google Cloud’s infrastructure, AI and machine-learning capabilities with Sabre’s deep travel domain knowledge to create, not next, but third generation solutions that we believe are smarter, faster and more cost-effective—a first-of-its kind in travel”
The AI technology will allow users to deliver the right offer at the right time to their clients, no matter the platform. It will automatically be able to tailor a personalized offer that Sabre says will “drive higher conversion rates and build traveler loyalty.”
The goal is to allow Sabre users to automate offers and analyze and predict consumer behaviors in real-time, cutting the time advisors using the platform might need to tailor a personalized offer to their clients. It will also allow airline users to use AI to deliver solutions in airports and in their mobile apps to “better serve the traveler.”
Artificial intelligence has long been seen as a game-changer for almost every industry including travel and the Sabre news marks one of the first major integrations of AI into the space.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian at the Consumer Electronic Showcase (CES) earlier this year said that he expects Delta to introduce a number of AI tools to mitigate the stress and uncertainty of flight delays and cancellations.
Both Signature and Virtuoso have mentioned the power that AI will have on its members during some of their more-recent annual meetings. Travel insurance companies have also reportedly started to employ the technology, making it easier for them to detect and assess real health or safety threats, and improve their system’s accuracy, in real-time.