A top Booking.com exec shares his go-to AI prompt (www.businessinsider.com)

James Waters, Chief Business Officer at Booking.com, revealed the company's innovative approach to competitive analysis by leveraging AI models like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT. He shared that one of his favorite prompts involves asking AI to dissect how rivals address strategic challenges, which significantly enhances research efficiency, allowing insights to be gathered in a fraction of the time it would take manually. This AI-driven analysis includes examining the presentation and summarization of customer reviews across platforms, underscoring how AI can synthesize vast amounts of information to inform strategic decisions. The travel industry is increasingly adapting to the AI revolution, with Booking.com actively rolling out AI agents as part of its Connected Trip strategy, enabling personalized travel planning experiences. Waters highlighted that AI's impact is most visible in engineering, with increased code development, as well as in HR and finance where AI tools assist in forecasting. However, as the company navigates the complexities of AI spending, it aims to balance excitement for AI's potential with caution over costs. Waters emphasized the importance of aligning investment with the value generated, drawing parallels between managing AI budgeting and cloud spending strategies.