What airports can teach us about the power of invisible business AI

Date:
Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:49:10 +0000

Description:
Like airports, businesses succeed when AI quietly coordinates complexity behind every aspect.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter A seamless airport journey can feel effortless. From check-in to baggage handling and take-off, everything appears coordinated, predictable and, for the most part, smooth. When delivered without any hitches, the entire process feels remarkably simple.

But, beneath that simplicity sits one of the most complex operational environments imaginable. Airlines, baggage handlers, security teams, retailers, air traffic control and countless other stakeholders must all coordinate in real time to keep passengers and aircraft on the way to their next destination. Most travelers never see this complexity, but without it
the entire experience would quickly fall apart. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Jesper Schleimann Social Links Navigation

Head of Business AI for SAP EMEA. Ive long been fascinated by the inner workings of airports. As the son of an air traffic controller, I grew up with an appreciation for aircraft and the decisions that are made every minute to make air travel possible. Now, I find myself regularly drawing parallels between airport operations and the way businesses are approaching their AI deployments.

What I have realized is, the most valuable use of AI may not be the highly visible applications that are drawing headlines and changing the way were searching. Instead, its greatest impact could come from helping businesses manage the complexity of their operations behind the scenes. You may like Travel disruption is a productivity nightmare AI is the game changing solution Why connecting tech to operational reality will help businesses deliver on AI's promise From AI insight to business outcomes: What
enterprises need to move beyond the Chat Phase The illusion of simplicity Airports are designed to feel intuitive and like they just work, but that simplicity is very carefully engineered by experts with decades of
experience. Every stage of the passenger journey depends on hundreds of connected decisions, working together and pivoting when needed.

Aircraft availability, staffing levels, security capacity, weather conditions and passenger demand must all be monitored and coordinated continuously. And while many of the systems supporting these individual activities were never originally designed to work together, they have no choice but to operate as one. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Businesses nowadays face a similar challenge. What appears seamless to a customer often relies on a web of technologies, data sources and processes operating in the background. Orders, supply chains, finance, procurement and workforce management all generate information that must be interpreted and acted upon almost instantly.

When these systems are disconnected, organizations create inefficiencies, blind spots and unnecessary friction that can have a knock on impact on the end customer .

This is where AI has the potential to become transformative. The challenge is no longer simply connecting systems that dont traditionally work together. Now, it is about understanding what the data flowing through those systems means and determining the best next step. What to read next From experimentation to execution: where agentic AI is delivering real value How SMBs turn AI into lasting business value Shadow AI a step too far, or an opportunity?

By identifying patterns, discovering insights and supporting decisions, AI
can help businesses turn operational complexity into coordinated execution. Responding to constant change The comparison with airports becomes even more prevalent when operations start deviating away from the original plan. The major travel hubs with the best reputations are not those that have every flight departing exactly as scheduled, they are the ones that are able to quicky respond when conditions change.

Flights are delayed, weather disrupts operations and passengers miss their connections, but the system always seems capable of adapting. Gates are reassigned, baggage is rerouted and resources are redirected, often before passengers even notice that there is a problem.

This level of responsiveness depends on more than just connected systems. It requires the ability to interpret information and act on it quickly. Increasingly, AI is helping businesses do exactly that by analyzing data and signals in real time, anticipating potential disruptions and recommending the next best course of action.

Customers rarely see this complexity. They expect products to be available, services to be reliable and experiences to be personalized, and theyre not massively bothered by the mechanics behind this.

At the same time, organizations are operating in an environment that is defined by constant disruption, from shifting consumer demand and supply
chain pressures to economic uncertainty and regulatory change.

Static processes are struggling to keep pace with that reality and as a result, businesses are moving towards more adaptive operating models where workflows can respond to changing conditions and issues before they become critical problems. The benefit is not simply greater efficiency. It is resilience. From coordination to intelligence Looking ahead, the next evolution for both airports and businesses is undoubtedly going to be driven by prediction rather than coordination. Airports are already exploring how data and AI tools can help anticipate passenger congestion, optimize security flows and improve the overall travel experience.

Businesses want to follow a similar path. Early AI initiatives have, for the most part, focused on individual tasks and use cases, but the tide is
starting to turn. Now, organizations are looking at how intelligence can be embedded directly into their core processes, breaking free from pilots (pun intended!) to full scale autonomous operations.

The result is a shift from fixed processes to ones that are far more intelligent. Instead of simply automating individual tasks, businesses are
now understanding how they can create processes that improve over time, helping people make better decisions and respond more effectively to changing circumstances.

The smoothness of an airport journey is rarely an accident. It is the outcome of a multitude of carefully integrated technologies working together to
manage the complexity of air travel behind the scenes. As businesses grow, build new capabilities and onboard more team members, they face the same challenge: delivering what looks like simplicity on the surface while
managing growing complexity underneath.

Success will depend not only on connecting systems and consolidating data,
but on embedding intelligence into the very fabric of operations. The organizations that achieve this, will be those that are best equipped to anticipate challenges, adapt to change and continuously improve.

Ultimately, customers may never see the work that goes on behind the scenes
to drive an experience. Just as travelers rarely think about the systems that keep an airport running, they are unlikely to notice the technology enabling
a faster delivery, a smoother transaction or a better service experience.
What they will notice though, is when everything just works. We've featured the best AI chatbot for business. This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives , our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/what-airports-can-teach-us-about-the-power-of-in visible-business-ai


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