Why Travelport Believes The Real AI Opportunity Starts With People

What if the biggest AI challenge facing organizations has nothing to do with technology at all? In this episode of AI at Work, I sit down with Lee Senderov, Chief Transformation Officer at Travelport, to discuss why AI should be viewed as a workforce transformation rather than a technology project, and why many organizations are still framing the opportunity in entirely the wrong way.While many businesses continue to focus on AI pilots, innovation labs, and isolated technical use cases, Lee argues that the real opportunity lies in empowering every employee. Drawing on Travelport's own AI journey, she shares how teams across the organization are using AI to eliminate repetitive work, create time for higher-value thinking, and solve problems that would never make it onto a traditional technology roadmap.We explore the practical framework Travelport has developed to drive adoption, covering capability building, creating the right operating environment, and fostering a culture that encourages employees to openly share ideas and AI-powered innovations. Lee explains why successful AI adoption requires far more than deploying tools, and how organizations can create an environment where experimentation becomes part of everyday work.The conversation also looks at the future of hiring, talent, and workplace culture. Lee predicts that AI proficiency will soon become as commonplace as email skills, shifting hiring conversations away from whether someone uses AI and toward how they use it to improve outcomes. At the same time, she warns against both ignoring AI and becoming overly dependent on it, arguing that the most successful employees will combine AI capabilities with human judgment, creativity, and critical thinking.We also discuss how AI is transforming the travel industry itself. From changing the way travelers search and book trips to supporting travel professionals during disruptions and complex itineraries, Lee explains how AI and human expertise are increasingly working together to create better customer experiences.Looking ahead, Lee believes the organizations that thrive will be those that build cultures capable of adapting quickly to whatever comes next. AI may be today's disruption, but the larger challenge is creating a workforce ready to embrace continuous change. Is your organization treating AI as another software tool, or is it rethinking how work itself gets done? Share your thoughts with me.