Winter Storm to Test AI Travel Support

Navan CEO Ariel Cohen is Pushing to Make Business Travel Smarter

In this Fortt Knox Update, Jon Fortt speaks with Ariel Cohen about how Navan is using AI to fundamentally reshape business travel, especially when things go wrong. The conversation opens with a looming winter storm, a real-world stress test that highlights Navan’s core value proposition: proactive, automated support at scale. Cohen explains how Navan alerts travelers before disruptions hit, helps them rebook without fees, and deploys its AI assistant, Ava, to handle a majority of support interactions when human agents alone would be overwhelmed.

If you’d like to join me – and peers – for deeper conversations on innovation and leadership, get on this list for Fortt Knox Executive Communities, launching soon: mba.fortt.com.

This is an AI-assisted summary of my Fortt Knox Update with Navan CEO Ariel Cohen. View the full interview here:

Cohen describes Navan’s broader AI architecture, built on an internal platform called “event cognition,” which blends external large language models with Navan’s proprietary data and long-term memory of traveler preferences, company policies and loyalty programs. This foundation powers both Ava and Navan’s next major product, a more autonomous “virtual travel agent” designed to plan, book and adjust trips end-to-end based on an individual’s habits and priorities.

The discussion also touches on the resurgence of business travel. Cohen argues demand has surpassed pre-pandemic levels because in-person meetings remain essential for trust, dealmaking and leadership. He notes a shift toward higher-quality travel experiences rather than purely functional trips.

Finally, Cohen reflects on Navan’s life as a newly public company, emphasizing the need to balance regulatory discipline with long-term innovation, and shares how AI has improved his own effectiveness as a CEO, particularly in communication and strategic clarity.

“And the reason that I’m talking about Ava: There is no way to scale a support organization to the level of mess that we’re going to have on Sunday, overnight. … And therefore AI is super, super important. Ava knows how to support, we reported in Q3, 54% of the interactions with us. That means that especially in a day of a storm, she will be extremely, extremely valuable.”

Highlights

• Navan uses AI to proactively manage large-scale travel disruptions like major storms.

• Ava, Navan’s AI assistant, handles over half of customer interactions.

• The company’s “event cognition” platform combines external LLMs with proprietary travel data.

• A new virtual travel agent product aims to automate trip planning and changes end-to-end.

• Business travel demand is now above pre-Covid levels, according to Navan data.

• Travelers are prioritizing experience quality, not just loyalty programs.

• Cohen argues AI compresses experience gaps, benefiting motivated entry-level workers.

• Navan is bringing new talent into roles like travel agents by augmenting them with AI tools.

• As a public company, Navan is committed to long-term innovation over short-term optics.

• Cohen personally uses AI to improve clarity, alignment, and communication as CEO.

If you’d like to join me – and peers – for deeper conversations on innovation and leadership, get on this list for Fortt Knox Executive Communities, launching soon: mba.fortt.com.