Navan, previously TripActions plans to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT capabilities into its virtual assistant Ava, so travel managers can easily submit expense reports. Now the company, formerly TripActions, has broadened the capabilities of the virtual assistant so it can function as a data analyst for travel administrators and finance managers.
According to a release, Ava can carry out a number of processes, including analyze real-time spend data, analyze spend versus travel policy, predict future spend habits and provide feedback on travel and expenses. In addition, the app will be available to individuals with a business email address, the company said. Up until now, TripActions travel-booking tools were only available through corporate accounts.
With ChatGPT capabilities built in, the platform’s chatbot will be able to learn a user’s preferred airlines, hotels and restaurants, and incorporate these options into a proposed itinerary, while using natural-language models to respond to voice commands, said TripActions co-founder and CEO Ariel Cohen.
Furthermore, ChatGPT will write, test and fix the code behind the app, constantly improving its operational efficiency through data analytics, Cohen said.
Speaking on AI developments in a blog psot by the company, Ilan Twig, co-founder and chief technology officer of Navan, hinted at the development of Ava for travel and expenses, saying the solution would enable chief finance officers and travel administrators to “have ChatGPT-style conversations.”
“ChatGPT and OpenAI revolutionized the entire software business. Those that fail to adjust will be displaced by those that adapt,” says Twig. “The same holds true for the travel and expense industry. In just two years, the leading players in T&E will be either established companies that have already embraced ChatGPT or new startups that bring innovative experiences and capabilities to the market.”
