The next destination for business travel is autonomy. What will it take for AI to get there?

The excitement surrounding AI often centers on what it can do. Can it book travel? Can it optimize itineraries? Can it automate expense reporting? Increasingly, the answer to all three questions is yes.

Mastercard's research found that 62% of organizations already have AI fully embedded in their T&E programs or are actively expanding its use. From automated approvals and disruption management to real-time traveler support and compliance monitoring, organizations are finding new ways to apply AI across the travel journey.

But as digital tools designed to streamline different elements of business travel proliferate — booking, payment, expense reimbursement, compliance — three in four T&E decision-makers say business travel has become more complex, not less, than it was two years ago. And 87% of T&E decision-makers say AI is moving faster than most organizations' ability to adopt it effectively.

That's because autonomous systems can only be as effective as the environment they operate in. They may not relish it, but employees can navigate fragmented processes, booking travel in one system, paying through another and reconciling expenses in a third. AI won’t gripe, but it can’t perform well when data, controls and workflows are disconnected, scattered across platforms.

To make decisions autonomously, an AI agent needs access to company policies, budget parameters, traveler preferences, supplier information and payment data. It needs visibility into what is happening and the authority to act within clearly defined guardrails. 

The next phase of T&E transformation is not simply about adopting AI. It's about connecting the layers that allow AI to operate effectively and create a more seamless experience.

For decades, most organizations have managed travel booking, payments and expense reporting as separate functions. But as travel becomes more strategic and AI becomes more capable, those silos become barriers.

The organizations that succeed will be the ones that create a connected ecosystem where booking, payment, expense and finance data move seamlessly together. That foundation enables real-time visibility, policy enforcement at the point of spend and the trusted data that autonomous systems require.

This is where corporate card programs, particularly virtual cards, are taking on a broader role. Rather than serving only as payment tools, corporate cards are increasingly acting as the connective layer between travel, expense and financial workflows, providing the data, controls and visibility needed to reduce fraud risk, enforce travel policy, improve reconciliation and accelerate intelligent decision-making.

An employee requests a T&E budget for a business trip, and when it’s approved, it automatically generates a virtual card number for booking and other transactions. Payments with the virtual card, whether online or through a mobile wallet – flow directly into the expense process without friction. 

Real-time data integration is critical here: It lets organizations proactively enforce policies, as opposed to identifying issues after the money has been spent, and can allow them to respond more quickly to fast-moving risks or travel disruptions.

The organizations that realize the greatest value from AI will not necessarily be those with the most advanced algorithms. They will be the ones that establish connected systems, trusted data and integrated workflows capable of delivering more autonomous ways of working.