Expedia AI Hiring Signals Travel’s Agentic Shift

Xavier Amatriain, recently appointed chief artificial intelligence and data officer at Expedia Group, announced on LinkedIn that he is hiring two Distinguished Scientists to help lead the company’s agentic AI strategy at the global online travel agency.

“We aren’t just shipping wrappers; we are reimagining how travel works using the next generation of AI orchestration and reasoning,” Amatriain wrote.

As travel companies rethink distribution and prioritize agentic capabilities, AI literacy is rapidly becoming a baseline job requirement. The shift is driving changes across the C-suite and operational teams, with major travel brands expanding AI-focused hiring and engineering capacity.

More than 300 roles are currently listed on Expedia Group’s careers page, with several explicitly referencing AI. Open positions include Principal Designer, AI Experiences; Senior Manager, Productivity – Enterprise AI; and Senior Product Manager, AI Builder Experiences. The hiring push follows a recent restructuring that included layoffs, underscoring how companies are reallocating resources toward AI-led priorities.

Competitors are making similar moves. Booking.com is recruiting for roles such as Senior Machine Learning Scientist – GenAI and AI Engineer for its optimization platforms. Sabre is advertising senior software and data science engineering roles after reorganizing leadership to sharpen its AI focus. Skyscanner is hiring for AI platform and conversational design positions as it accelerates AI integration.

John Morhous, chief experience officer at Flight Centre Travel Group, said AI competency is now central to recruitment. In some roles, such as software engineering, deep AI usage is expected. “We’re absolutely hiring for it, and it’s changing our process,” he said.

Expedia has also warned investors about the risks of falling behind. In its latest 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company noted that failure to navigate the agentic AI transition could materially affect its business and competitive position.

Research reinforces the urgency. Phocuswright reports that six in 10 travel companies are experimenting with or scaling agentic AI, while a McKinsey Global Survey on AI found that half of organizations using AI expect to hire more data scientists within a year.

Industry leaders stress adaptability over age or tenure. Kurt Ekert, CEO of Sabre, said intellectual curiosity matters more than demographics. Across the sector, companies are pairing AI hiring with upskilling programs to ensure employees remain relevant as AI reshapes workflows.

As generative and agentic AI move from experimentation to execution, travel’s talent strategy is being fundamentally rewired.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com

Tags: phocuswire

Expedia AI Hiring Signals Travel’s Agentic Shift

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