From Tools to Transformation: How Expedia Operationalizes AI at Scale

From Tools to Transformation: How Expedia Operationalizes AI at Scale

From Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews) by Metis Strategy

May 4, 2026 · 40 min

About this episode

Peter High interviews Ramana Thumu about how Expedia is operationalizing AI at scale.

AI isn’t just a capability, it’s an operating model shift. In this episode of Technovation , Peter High speaks with Ramana Thumu , CTO of Expedia Group , about how one of the world’s largest travel platforms is embedding AI into the core of how it operates. From AI squads integrated into business units to enterprise-wide AI literacy, Ramana shares how Expedia is aligning culture, processes, and technology to scale AI impact. They also explore how Expedia is reinventing engineering through AI agents, building a data foundation to power personalization, and reimagining the traveler experience through agentic AI. Key highlights include: Embedding AI into business workflows through AI squads Driving 3–5x productivity gains with AI-native engineering Building trusted data assets to scale AI innovation Creating agentic experiences across the travel journey Managing rapid AI evolution with flexible platform architecture

People in this episode

Host: Peter High

Guest: Ramana Thumu

Topics covered

  • AI
  • business transformation
  • engineering
  • travel technology
  • productivity
  • data management

Keywords

  • AI
  • Expedia
  • productivity gains
  • data foundation
  • traveler experience
  • engineering
  • AI squads

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Expedia Group, Expedia

More episodes of Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews) podcast page.