Kurien Jacob Breaks It Down

A veteran of the travel, tech, and software sectors with over four decades of experience, Kurien Jacob now leads Highgate Technology Ventures (HTV) as a partner and MD. He’s invested in forward-thinking hospitality startups like SevenRooms, LodgIQ, and Laasie.

At the Skift Data + AI Summit, Kurien will share why the real AI revolution in travel isn’t just guest-facing, it’s operational, structural, and accelerating fast.

With his session just around the corner, Kurien Jacob shared a few candid thoughts on where the travel industry is missing the mark with AI and what trends he’s betting on next.

What do you think the travel industry still gets wrong when it comes to applying AI?

“The travel industry still treats AI mostly as a sales and support tool – pushing deals or running chatbots – this is going to be transformative across the industry. This is the only technology that may not require you to be a treasure of experience. I think this is going to kill experience in favor of knowledge, thought processes, intelligence, and a clear open mind for adaptation. This transformation is going to be so fast that your head will spin and non-believers will be left in the dust.”

What emerging trends in AI or data are you watching most closely right now?

“This is obviously an outcome from the core engine. How does this integrate with the core engine of AI in computing, math, image recognition etc.”

“The biggest impact is going to be for travel, accommodations, restaurants as there is a lot of answering questions and doubts. Once you win the trust with Q&A then you focus on task completion such as booking a flight, hotel, restaurant, and activity.”

“Using AI to tailor experiences for B2B customers is key. How do we pass on AI-completed products for customers? In fact, the biggest business shift will probably be SaaS to AI solutions for productivity and software all in one. Companies who get this will be faster to win.”

If you had to place a big bet on one AI breakthrough that could reshape travel, what would it be?

• “Ok for the customer – Autonomous AI Agents or software connected to personal AI assistants around the world asking questions, wanting to book travel. Ask anything and request execution. That’s where commerce may come in.
• Entire back office of travel or hospitality would be replaced. No longer talking to humans but machines. 95% will be answered by machines and 5% could be touched by humans.
• Travel and hospitality would be boring as most functions would be done through AI and the differentiation would be with creativity, intelligence, and humor.
• Think about the internet and multiply it by 10 for this tech. You want to write descriptions for an AI to discover. And here there are no static web pages. It’s interactive. We have moved to a conversational age!!”

Don’t Miss Kurien Jacob at the Skift Data + AI Summit

Kurien Jacob is one of the sharpest minds shaping the future of operational AI in hospitality. His session will be a deep dive into the forces already rewriting the industry’s playbook. Register now to join the conversation that’s redefining travel tech from the ground up.

Staying ahead of the next wave of change.

June 4, 2025 – NEW YORK CITY