IAG Outlines Strategy to Prove AI Value Before Scaling Group-Wide
Ben Dias, IAG's chief AI scientist, explains how the airline group running British Airways and Iberia sequences AI deployment starting with a single airline.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- IAG begins AI deployment at a single airline to establish a baseline before scaling across the Group.
- Regulatory compliance and governance are embedded into the design process from day one.
- AI is deployed to assist experts in complex decision-making rather than replace human specialists.
International Airlines Group oversees prominent carriers including British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Vueling under a single corporate umbrella, presenting a unique challenge when determining where to initiate artificial intelligence programs. Ben Dias, IAG's chief AI scientist, addresses this complexity by launching initiatives within a single airline first to establish operational baselines and gather learnings.
Ahead of his appearance at the Skift Data + AI Summit Europe scheduled for October 6, 2026, in London, Dias shared insights into how IAG sequences AI adoption across its portfolio. He noted that attempting to construct a comprehensive solution on day one frequently hinders progress, whereas incremental scaling generates value at a faster rate and provides critical insights for ongoing refinement.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Regarding European regulations such as the EU AI Act and GDPR, Dias emphasized that compliance requirements have reinforced the necessity of establishing governance from the outset. Initiatives like IAG's AI Creative Studio incorporated legal compliance, intellectual property considerations, and responsible AI governance directly into initial design phases, providing the confidence required to scale successful use cases across multiple markets and brands.
Adopting an incremental scaling approach allows large corporate groups to mitigate the high failure rates historically associated with enterprise-wide technology deployments. By validating models within isolated business units first, organizations can manage risk effectively and tailor solutions based on empirical data before committing capital to group-wide rollouts.
Dias identified the most substantial opportunities for AI in travel operations within complex, high-stakes decision-making environments. In aviation, this encompasses optimizing maintenance schedules, enhancing operational resilience, and enabling specialist teams to evaluate millions of potential scenarios at unprecedented speeds. He stressed that the fundamental value lies in augmenting human expertise rather than substituting specialist personnel.
"The real value isn't replacing human expertise. It's combining that expertise with AI to help people make better decisions, faster and with greater confidence."
Ben Dias, Chief AI Scientist at IAG
The upcoming Skift Data + AI Summit Europe in London will feature a full lineup of travel industry leaders, including Filip Filipov of OAG, Peer Bueller of KAYAK, Sheena Varma of Amex GBT, and Nicolas Maynard of Accor, discussing the evolving technological landscape across European markets.
Source: Skift
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