The McKinsey Podcast How agentic AI could transform travel
27 snips
Dec 4, 2025 Jules Seeley, a Senior Partner at McKinsey specializing in travel strategy, explores the exciting potential of agentic AI in the travel industry. He discusses how AI could revolutionize booking by personalizing itineraries and rebooking disrupted flights, enhancing customer experience. Additionally, Seeley emphasizes the irreplaceable human element in travel, focusing on emotional experiences. He suggests a strategic approach for companies to adopt AI technologies while mitigating risks, and anticipates a future where travel planning will be more conversational and tailored to individual preferences.
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AI Can Restore Travel's Delight
- Customers enjoy travel discovery but dislike converting research into concrete itineraries.
- Agentic AI can shift excitement back to planning by handling logistics and friction.
High Adoption, Low Measured Impact—For Now
- Many travel companies experiment with AI internally but few see clear P&L impact yet.
- Early-stage adoption signals future economic and customer-experience benefits as capabilities mature.
Begin With Internal Use Cases
- Start agentic adoption with internal processes where you control variables and can experiment.
- Use cost efficiencies to help fund broader agentic investments while planning strategic differentiators.