AI transformation in travel: Piero Sierra of Skyscanner

Rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) is already changing the travel industry and how companies operate both externally and internally.

Over the coming weeks, PhocusWire is checking in with executives about where AI is making the biggest difference in their businesses.

Earlier this summer, Skyscanner began beta testing "Explore with AI," which lets travelers search for trips using natural language, as well as an AI-powered road trip planner.

Piero Sierra, chief AI officer at Skyscanner, sat down with us to share his thoughts on the metasearch engine's AI initiatives and how he sees the technology evolving.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for style, clarity and length.

What's the biggest impact AI has had on your organization so far? Please provide a concrete example of AI in action.

The biggest impact has been the speed at which we can turn traveler problems into products and test them in the real world.

A concrete example is Explore with AI, which combines natural-language queries with Skyscanner's travel data and 20 years of travel intelligence. Travelers can describe the kind of trip they want in their own words, rather than starting with a destination and dates, and receive relevant options. We then test whether those ideas genuinely help; around 61% of users went on to view flight options. That gives us a faster loop from traveler need, to product, to evidence.

Trivago recently said it increased its investment in internal AI tools more than fivefold in the first seven months of 2026. How does your AI investment compare?

We don't disclose a standalone figure, so I can't make a direct numerical comparison. What I can say is that our AI investment continues to grow across three priorities.

First, building AI-powered products that help travelers move from searching to getting trusted answers. Likewise, we’re leveraging AI to create even greater value for our partners. Second, using AI across engineering and the wider company to improve productivity and redesign how work gets done. Third, partnering with AI platforms so Skyscanner's live travel intelligence powers the next generation of travel answers.

Across all three, our test is the same: Invest where AI can deliver meaningful value for travelers and make us more effective.

How do you see AI evolving?

AI is evolving from search, to answers, to actions. Travelers no longer just want technology to show them options; they want help understanding those options and deciding what is right for them. Over time, AI will also take action on their behalf when prompted. But travel is high stakes, so that progression must be grounded in trusted, real-time data and keep travelers in control, especially when they book.

The same shift applies to our partners. Our acquisition of Longtail helps turn Skyscanner's demand intelligence into action, enabling airlines to use those insights to set prices more effectively as traveler behavior changes over time.

What role do you see agentic AI playing in the destination marketing organization (DMO) space?

Agentic AI's role in the DMO space will be to turn destination inspiration into action. That matters because around half of travelers arrive at Skyscanner undecided about where or when to go. Explore with AI gives DMOs a way to reach them, combining Skyscanner travel insights, live prices and deals with paid, relevant destination content, delivered contextually to each traveler's request.

The result is relevant support that helps travelers decide. The next step is agentic: With permission, AI can act on that intent by applying preferences and helping complete a booking. This connects discovery to demand.

What other technological innovations are you exploring beyond AI?

We’re proud to be the official travel and technology sponsor of the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, coming up the second week of September. Through that sponsorship, we’re working with SkyNRG to address emissions associated with international player travel, supporting 20 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through a book and claim model. SkyNRG is developing a new SAF production facility in the Netherlands, using climate tech to help scale lower-carbon aviation fuel. 

More broadly, we’re continuing to invest in technology that creates better outcomes for travelers and our partners. Following our acquisition of Longtail in late 2025, we also have ambitions to support the company’s continued growth, helping airlines better understand and act on demand. 

We want to both support technologies that can improve the travel experience and help reduce the impact of international travel.

Stay tuned for additional interviews with chief AI officers, e-commerce execs and CTOs as part of PhocusWire's ongoing AI Transformation in Travel series. Catch up on previous conversations with Ante Dagelić of Travelier, Velit Dundar of Radisson and Javier Cabrerizo of HBX Group.