People before prompts: 5 ways Amadeus is developing a culture that embraces responsible AI
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. When author and management consultant Peter Drucker wrote the phrase, he was talking about how even the best laid plans can be undermined by a culture that doesn’t support the strategy.
At Amadeus, we’ve come to think that culture eats AI for breakfast. Few technologies have been met with such a mix of excitement, praise, hype, scepticism, and fear. Artificial Intelligence, and in particular Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI), has the potential to propel us into a new technological revolution.
As AI systems become more autonomous and integrated into everyday life and business operations, technologies like Agentic AI and more sophisticated neural networks are expected to accelerate AI capabilities even further.
But if artificial intelligence is going to meet our goals, it must be powered by teams who manage it with care and creativity and put human needs above all else.
With that in mind, here are five ways Amadeus is developing a culture that celebrates the responsible use of AI to transform the future of travel.
1. Accompanying change
Successfully integrating Generative AI into our business isn’t just about technology—it’s about people, mindset, and sustained transformation. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to create an environment where change is supported at every level. Through initiatives like our dedicated AI Center of Excellence, regular communication of internal AI policies and updates, and the development of our AI Hub—a central resource for all AI-related activities at Amadeus including training, best practices, and use case guidance—we’re ensuring teams have the knowledge and support they need to work confidently with AI.
We’ve also launched AI Academies tailored not just for technical teams, but for business leaders across the company. These programs raise awareness of the opportunities AI can unlock, including the need to rethink traditional revenue models and product strategies. By bringing business units into the conversation early, our technology teams help them prioritize AI on their roadmaps and make informed, forward-looking decisions. We’re also focused on educating top management and our customers, building a shared understanding of what responsible AI adoption looks like across the travel ecosystem.
2. Explore before you implement
We take a deliberate and thoughtful approach to AI adoption. Before any implementation, we dedicate time and resources to understanding the technology in depth—its capabilities, limitations, and implications. Our Research teams play a critical role in continuously monitoring the fast-evolving AI landscape through our proactive Tech Watch, helping us stay ahead of trends and potential risks like hallucinations, biases, high energy costs, and inconsistencies. AI can deliver promising results early in the process, but achieving full accuracy and production-grade performance is far more complex. AI is not a magic box, treating it as such would lead to unrealistic expectations.
That’s why we focus on building the right technical and data foundations before scaling any solution. Pilots are essential to choose the right use case: we involve customers early, work closely with partners, and test thoroughly before moving toward broader deployment. By exploring with intention and discipline, we ensure our AI efforts are grounded, strategic, and aligned with real business and customer needs rather than hype.
3. Responsible by design: Incorporating ethics into AI adoption
Crucially, we believe AI innovation must be ethical by design. Artificial intelligence will only be useful if it is trusted. That’s why our AI technology is designed following Amadeus’ AI Ethics Principles to ensure transparent and responsible use. It’s not just a matter of doing what’s right, it’s essential to building sustainable and trusted long-term solutions that benefit everyone involved.
The adoption of the EU AI Act and the signature of the AI Pact are milestones that reinforce this belief. It shows that compliance and innovation are not mutually exclusive—on the contrary, strong ethical and legal foundations are safeguards for proper innovation.
AI is a powerful tool—but it’s just a means to an end. Therefore, its true value lies in how it supports people: improving efficiency, enabling creativity, solving real customer pain points, and enhancing the travel experience. By nurturing a culture of innovation rooted in collaboration and responsibility, we create space for experimentation, impact and trust- while keeping ethics at the core.
4. Managing AI with strong governance and clear accountability
At Amadeus, we’ve built a robust internal structure and clear governance around AI to ensure that every step we take is aligned with our strategic goals, ethical principles, regulatory requirements, and long-term vision. At the center of this structure is our AI Office. This collaborative and cross-functional body sets the overall framework for AI use and development at Amadeus, supporting teams across the organization with training, guidance, and best practices.
Closely connected with the AI Office, we set up an AI Compliance Program to prepare us for the EU AI Act and any other relevant AI regulations. We also established an AI Use Case Review Board, which evaluates projects to ensure that any implementation of AI, especially Generative AI, meets our standards for fairness, reliability, privacy, transparency, accountability, and sustainability.
By embedding governance from the top and scaling it across every layer of the business, we ensure that our approach to AI remains consistent, accountable, scalable, and strategic. This internal clarity strengthens our external credibility and reinforces our position as a trusted and responsible technology leader in the travel ecosystem.
5. Integrating AI into everything we do
Amadeus is on a journey to transform how travel works, and at the heart of this transformation is our commitment to integrating AI technology into our decisions and workflows, making it an integral part of how we evolve and serve our customers. From the automation of complex tasks through Agentic AI to using Generative AI for innovation, we’re focused on shaping a future where technology enhances human experiences.
This is the path we’re taking to drive a transformational impact across the entire travel ecosystem. With AI, we can create experiences that are more personalized, efficient, and sustainable. AI is also helping us find new ways to improve our customers’ operations and facilitate the work of our employees. And we’re committed to doing this in a way that respects privacy, builds trust, and aligns with societal values. We’re not just looking to adopt the latest technology—we’re focused on driving long-term value for our customers, partners, and the entire industry by making AI a powerful force for good.
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