Saudia's transformation chief explains how ideas get picked for production, and where he draws the line: anything that could compromise safety, security or the people the airline serves and employs. Episode summary Dr Ibraheem Sheerah is Chief Transformation Officer at the Saudia Group. In this episode of the SoarAI podcast, he explains how the airline starts with its strategy and the needs of its guests, then works back to the AI tools. The Travel Companion, the AI assistant Saudia launched with Accenture in 2024, is designed to be proactive: it should know when a flight is going to be disrupted and offer options early, from the next flight to a refund. Saudia tracks it with CSAT, NPS and operational measures such as on-time performance. On the commercial side, he describes analytical AI reading customer preferences to shape which routes fly each season, with load factor, RASK and market share as the signals, and what he calls a push model, using generative AI models within Amadeus to offer ancillaries to customers. He is clear that AI will support staff rather than replace them. Groups travelling for Hajj and Umrah still need people to look after them, and in operations such as crew scheduling, keeping a human in control is, in his words, non-negotiable. New ideas go to a digital innovation hub the team calls "the kitchen", which scores them on doability, complexity and cost before anyone writes a business case. Asked what he would invest in, he points to the airline's data layer, along with infrastructure, data governance and cybersecurity. He also talks about how he uses Claude, agents and Copilot in his own work, and a dream of loyalty points that could be exchanged between airlines and spent like a currency. What you will hear What the Travel Companion is meant to do at each touch point, and how it should warn passengers about a disruption before they askHow Saudia uses AI with Amadeus, the partner behind its move to offers and orders, for personalised ancillary offers and seasonal route planningWhere AI stops when serving Hajj and Umrah groups, and why crew scheduling still needs a human in controlPartnership discussions with HUMAIN, the PIF-owned AI company, and why keeping Saudia's data local mattersThe route from "the kitchen" to a business case to a cross-functional project team, plus hackathons with startups and feedback sessions with customersWhat boarding Saudia could feel like in 2030, and the one belief about AI where he parts company with most of the world Notable quotes "It starts with the needs of the customers and ends with the needs of the customers." "Having a human in control, it's non-negotiable, even from the regulator point of view." "We do not see organisation structures, we see cross-functional teams." About the guest Ibraheem Sheerah is Group Chief Transformation Officer at Saudia, where he leads transformation and strategy across the Saudia Group, including flyadeal, Saudia Cargo and Saudia Technic. He began his career as an engineer, worked at Advanced Electronics Company and Saudi Railways Company, and from 2016 to 2021 held leadership roles in Saudi Vision 2030 programmes, including the Privatisation and Quality of Life programmes. [LinkedIn] About the hosts Shashank Nigam is CEO of SimpliFlying, a leading aviation strategy firm with more than 18 years of experience working with 120+ organisations. SoarAI is our new practice covering how artificial intelligence is being built and deployed across the sector. Peter Bellew is Founder of Dooks Capital, former CEO of Malaysia Airlines and former Chief Operating Officer of Ryanair and Riyadh Air. Dooks Capital backs early-stage technical founders building AI for airline, airport, and ground operations intelligence. About the SoarAI podcast SoarAI is the world's first podcast on artificial intelligence in aviation. SimpliFlying brings you in-depth and unfiltered conversations with aviation leaders on how the industry is evaluating, implementing and scaling AI in the real world. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes of SoarAI drop every fortnight. Links SoarAI podcast: https://simpliflying.com/ai/podcastSoarAI Advisory: https://simpliflying.com/aiSaudia launches its AI-powered Travel Companion: https://www.futuretravelexperience.com/2024/04/saudi-launches-innovative-digital-platform-powered-by-advanced-ai-offering-personalised-solutions/Saudia moves to Orders with Amadeus Nevio: https://www.businesstravelnewseurope.com/Air-Travel/Saudia-moves-to-Orders-with-Amadeus-Nevio
