Businesses are preparing to hand a growing share of their corporate travel spending to artificial intelligence systems. By 2028, respondents estimate AI could manage or approve 37 percent of travel expenses, according to Conferma, a financial technology firm specializing in virtual payments. That figure translates to $700 billion, based on a Global Business Travel Association estimate. The study, conducted by Sapio Research for Conferma in September 2026, surveyed 600 decision-makers in the travel and finance sectors across the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Trust and Volume in Corporate Travel
Twenty-eight percent of organizations expect AI to handle more than half of their travel budget. This proportion rises significantly in large companies. Among firms with annual travel expenses of at least $6.8 million, the share of spend managed by AI reaches 51 percent. This contrasts with 27 percent in organizations spending less than $136,000 annually. Executives demonstrate strong confidence in these emerging applications. Eighty-six percent of executives and department heads say they trust AI to manage travel reservations and expenses. This trust drops to 62 percent among travel, procurement, and mobility professionals.
Defining the Boundaries of AI Spending
Ninety-seven percent of respondents express concern about autonomous AI purchases. Data security tops the list of worries, cited by 59 percent, followed by the risk of error at 43 percent. Eighty-one percent of organizations have implemented policies or controls to govern AI spending, but only 36 percent consider these measures full. The question has shifted from whether AI can book a trip to what it is authorized to purchase. Companies must specify approved vendors, spending limits, and the required level of human supervision.
Mark Ledsham, CEO of Conferma, notes that the delegation of spending power to AI agents is advancing faster than the controls that govern it. He observes that travel is likely to be one of the first fields for “agent payments” because it combines high transaction volume with clear policies and significant spend. Companies must establish clear boundaries for what agents can purchase and identify exactly who is responsible when an error occurs. The controls must remain stable, traceable, and subject to clear accountability.