Skift Global Forum 2026: Steve Case on AI and Travel
AOL co-founder and Revolution CEO Steve Case speaks at Skift Global Forum on Sept 22-24, 2026, sharing insights on AI investment and valuable friction.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Revolution CEO Steve Case speaks at the upcoming Skift Global Forum from September 22-24, 2026.
- Core investment strategy: Deploy AI aggressively on abundance, and capital on scarcity.
- Chase Travel survey reveals 60% of Gen Z and Millennials want to use a travel advisor.
- Highlights the critical distinction between bad friction to eliminate and good friction to protect.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries globally, a fundamental question guides where investments flow: will a resource become abundant, or remain scarce? This exact question drives the investment thesis of Steve Case, the AOL co-founder and current chairman and CEO of Revolution, who is set to take the stage at the upcoming Skift Global Forum scheduled for September 22–24, 2026, to outline his rules for the AI era.
Case explains that his decision-making framework starts with a straightforward inquiry into what AI will make abundant versus what will stay scarce. His guiding rule is clear: use artificial intelligence aggressively on everything becoming abundant, while deploying capital into everything that is not. He emphasizes that in an increasingly digital world, people inherently hunger for genuine community with real people in physical locations.
The 'Paradox of Abundance' highlighted by Case illustrates that overwhelming amounts of digital information often breed consumer hesitation rather than confidence. The unexpected resurgence of human travel advisors among digitally native generations proves that technology cannot entirely replace the deep reassurance of human judgment.
Addressing the evolving consumer landscape, Case points out the paradox of abundance where consumers have access to more information than ever before, yet feel less certain about their choices, leading directly to decision fatigue. This trend is clearly supported by hard data; in a recent Chase Travel survey encompassing over 4,000 travelers, 60 percent of Gen Z and Millennials indicated they prefer using a travel advisor. Despite utilizing social media and AI for initial discovery, the most digitally fluent generation places high value on real human recommendations when committing their money and time.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
"People have access to more information than ever, yet they often feel less certain about their decisions. That's the paradox of abundance."
Steve Case
Regarding customer relationship management, Case notes a major shift away from transactional and episodic interactions where every trip starts from zero. Winning companies are instead building relationships that compound over time. This philosophy motivated recent acquisitions like Inspirato and onefinestay, expanding the platform—now known as The Exclusive Collective—to serve a broader range of families seeking confident travel experiences.
Finally, Case points out an area the travel industry overlooks: distinguishing between good friction and bad friction. While bad friction includes lengthy security queues and frustrating customer service holds that AI should eliminate, operators must carefully evaluate which specific types of good friction to deliberately preserve.
Source: Skift
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