> Markdown version of [/events/world-congress-2026-north-america/sessions/1893-travel-s-ai-powered](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-north-america/sessions/1893-travel-s-ai-powered). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

---

# Travel’s AI-Powered Shift: How Expedia Group Is Building in the AI Era


- **Date:** Thursday, Sep 24, 2026
- **Time:** 14:50–15:20 (30 min)
- **Room:** Stage 5
- **Event:** World Congress 2026 North America

## Description

Travel is a complex industry, and at Expedia Group that complexity is becoming a proving ground for AI-enabled innovation and a new kind of engineering leadership.
In this fireside chat, Expedia Group engineering leaders share how they are rethinking the software development lifecycle in the AI era — from early AI tooling adoption toward connected, purpose-built agentic systems.
They’ll discuss what is changing in practice: how AI is helping teams ship higher-quality experiences faster, how smaller teams are delivering work in fewer sprints, and how impact is being measured through cycle times, velocity, output, and business outcomes—not adoption alone.
They’ll also explore the next phase of Expedia Group’s AI strategy: agents inside Expedia Group that help employees move faster, supported by responsible AI guardrails and a flexible technology foundation.
Come for a grounded, practitioner's view of leading as the stack and tooling evolve at a breakneck pace.

## Speakers

### [Debashis Saha](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@debashis-saha)

Senior Vice President, Technology at Expedia Group
### [Julia Elliott](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@julia-elliott)

Vice President, Technology and Chief of Staff at Expedia Group


## Related talks at this congress

- [Beyond the Code: Human-AI Synergies in Product Development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-north-america/sessions/1734-beyond-the-code) — Ajita Kanchivakam Ananth
- [Architecting the 100X SDLC: Building Production Trust into AI-Assisted Delivery](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-north-america/sessions/1826-architecting-the) — Ranjan Parthasarathy
- [The Reality of AI Adoption in Enterprises](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-north-america/sessions/1752-the-reality-of-ai) — Priyanka Vergadia
- [Building the AI Era Through Developer Communities: A Competitive Advantage for Engineers & Teams](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-north-america/sessions/1748-building-the-ai-era) — John Komarnicki

## Watch remotely

Can’t make it to San José? Watch this session live with Pro. You also get:

- All full videos, bookmarks, and playlists
- World Congress livestreams

[See pricing](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/pricing)

## Links

- [Get tickets](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/world-congress-north-america/tickets)