Expedia Hires Former Google VP as First Chief AI Officer
Photo Credit: Expedia Group HQ Courtesy of Expedia Group
Skift Take
Expedia Group’s move to bring in Xavier Amatriain, a heavyweight from Google, as its inaugural Chief AI and Data Officer underscores its intent to lead on travel technology in the AI age.
Expedia Group said Monday that it had hired its first chief AI officer — an effort to get out in front of the big changes coming its way. And the hire says a lot about what Expedia sees as its biggest challenges.
Formerly vice president of AI and compute enablement at Google, Xavier Amatriain oversaw the search giant’s core AI infrastructure systems powering Gemini, Search, Ads, and more.
As Expedia’s new chief artificial intelligence and data science officer, he will be responsible for the OTA’s long-term vision for AI.
This is a key role that cuts across both its consumer brands and enterprise division, which provides tech to business partners. The company framed the move as part of its commitment to “transforming travel through first-party data and cutting-edge AI technology.”
