Latest news with #Navan
Skift
5 hours ago
- Business
- Skift
Business Travel Forecasts for the Rest of the Year a Mix of Optimism and Shifting Priorities
Business travel predictions for Q3 & 4 vary widely, with the travelers sometimes appearing more optimistic than their companies. Various sectors of the business travel industry have released their predictions for the remainder of the year — and they're all over the place. For some, it appears that geopolitics, tariffs, travel advisories, and border hassles are not enough for companies to keep most travelers home. Others, including the industry's largest member-focused organization, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), hint at signs of a slowdown. Summer Travel Optimism Corporate travel management platform Navan's new Summer Travel Trend Report reported that summer flight bookings on the platform are up 10% and hotel bookings up 25% compared to last summer. 'We're seeing strong demand for business travel this summer,' said Rich Liu, CEO of travel. 'Executives have businesses to run, they clearly recognize the value of travel, connection, and face-to-face interactions.' Attendees clearly feel the same way. When the Skift Travel Tracker recently asked the travelers themselves how their travel to meetings, conferences, and trade shows in 2025 compares to 2024, 55% said 'Somewhat More' and almost all (96%) said 'Much More.' On the travel management side of the business, findings from the just-released Sixth-Annual SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey of travelers were also positive. Despite global uncertainties over trade policies, the survey found that the vast majority of respondents, including 93% of travel managers and CFOs expect their organisation's travel budget to increase or stay the same in 2025 compared with the previous year. Nearly all travelers (97%) said they were willing to travel for business over the next 12 months; however, 40% said they would think about declining a business trip because of safety or social concerns about a destination. Kevin Hinton, managing director, group travel, U.S. Travel Association, remains positive. 'Overall uncertainty isn't helpful for meetings and travel, but the underlying fundamentals remain strong. The stock market is fully recovered from earlier this year and setting records.' 'Flattish' Forecast Despite the positive news, one of the first business travel warning bells of 2025 came from Delta President Glen Hauenstein in April during the airline's first-quarter earnings call, when he said business travel trends are 'choppy," and that "corporate volumes [are] expected to be flattish" compared with 2024. That's backed by GBTA's Global Business Travel Outlook and Impact survey of travel managers, procurement, and sourcing professionals, which found that 28% of U.S.-based (28%) buyers expect their company's overall business travel spend to decline as a result of U.S. government actions. 'That's a notable figure — it reflects that companies are considering when and why they travel as a result,' said CEO Suzanne Neufang. When it comes to travel to meetings and events located in the U.S., 20% were either considering canceling, or canceling. Purpose, location, safety and cost are all factors in these decisions, she said. 'Travel for client meetings, major conferences, and high-impact engagements that drive business are still seen as essential, even if some lower-priority trips may be scaled back.'
Irish Times
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Preventing Mam from accepting a hug from a friend at my sister's funeral will haunt me forever
I stood sentinel outside the Navan church that had hosted so many of my family's milestones over the decades: christenings, communions, confirmations. And now funerals. The sun, which had delighted Irish people throughout the summer of 2021, was temporarily hidden behind a canopy of clouds. Even still, my body overheated in my ill-fitting suit, a spontaneous purchase from earlier in the week. I observed my mother beside me; that morning, her renowned fortitude had abandoned her entirely. My father, unable to remain still, paced the grounds, chatting with friends and neighbours as if it were half-time during a football match and not the funeral of his only daughter. His denial of our family's tragedy was understandable because Deirdre's death following an accident in Liverpool four weeks earlier had occurred during the most surreal period in a generation: the pandemic . 'You can pay your respects to the family, but please don't shake their hands – and definitely do not hug anyone,' our kind but firm undertaker instructed the congregation, most of whom couldn't attend the service inside the church because of restrictions. And so, from a distance, condolences in English and Irish arrived one after the other. READ MORE 'I can only imagine what you're going through.' 'Ní mhaith liom do thrioblóid.' 'It was a beautiful ceremony – Deirdre would have been proud.' A group of my sister's former schoolfriends arrived. One quipped, 'The last time I saw you, Domhnall, you wanted to be She-Ra.' I forced a laugh. 'And I still do.' Domhnall O'Donoghue's sister, Deirdre As hundreds shared sympathies and memories, I could sense my mother's form falter despite her best intentions to present a strong front. 'Is this really happening?' she whispered to me. At that moment, Mam didn't need compassionate words but a warm embrace, even a rudimentary handshake – gestures ubiquitous at Irish funerals before the pandemic ravaged the world. Probably sensing as much, her former colleague stepped forward to hug her. One friend to another. One mother to another. [ Death and grief in the digital age: 'We were able to let her say goodbye through a WhatsApp video call' Opens in new window ] 'I'm sorry, Rita,' I cried, immediately creating a barrier between them, 'but we have to keep our distance.' That moment will haunt me forever: preventing my mother from accepting a much-needed hug from a friend in her darkest hour because her insubordinate lungs made her a prime target of the virus. It was then my turn to ask: 'Is this really happening?' The O'Donoghue family in 1988, celebrating the confirmation of Darragh (far left) and communion of Déaglán (left). Domhnall stands in the centre, with Deirdre in the back row. They are joined by their parents, Máire and John Over the following months, the reality of my sister's death settled. However, even when the restrictions lifted, I maintained my own distance from others – ill-prepared to oppress them with my grief or uninterested in engaging in vacuous conversations about the latest television series, sporting event or culinary craze. Instead, I resumed my work as a travel writer, soon becoming obsessed with historical figures. I desperately wanted to learn about their lives and contributions to the world, hoping to answer questions such as, 'What is our purpose in life?' After visiting the Patrick Kavanagh Centre in Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, I repeatedly read the masterpiece In Memory of My Father. This tribute to the poet's late parent deftly articulated the oppressive reality of loss: no matter where you turn, you're constantly greeted by memories of loved ones. Further north in the Seamus Heaney Homeplace , I reconnected with a poem my sister and I regularly recited in speech and drama class: Mid-Term Break – an ode to the Derry poet's young brother, killed in a car crash, with that devastating final line: 'A four-foot box, a foot for every year.' Almost obsessively, I engaged with works from masters across every art discipline, like Death in a Sickroom by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch , depicting his sister's death from TB. Or the harrowing paintings by Francis Bacon in response to the suicide of his former lover. Or Amelia Stein 's photographic series about her deceased father, Spare Parts: Old Boxes. Or the writing of JM Barrie , whose brother's tragic death in an ice-skating accident prompted him to create a character of a boy who'd live forever, Peter Pan. Domhnall O'Donoghue: 'Four years ago, my existence was bleak, painful and oppressive. But nature, always surprising and renewing, helped bring wonder and hope back into my life' Inspired by these luminaries of the art world, I eventually decided to also channel the chaos in my head and heart into my fourth book. The Wonderful Life of Connie Maguire tells the story of a 40-year-old special needs assistant from a village in my home county of Meath. She has battled low self-esteem since childhood and sacrificed her own wellbeing to support her son, Ireland's newest rugby star. On the day of her milestone birthday, with Liam's career about to soar, Connie finally believes she might achieve some happiness. Then tragedy strikes in the dark of night, changing everything. While the story of Connie is unrelated to my family's circumstances, it tackles some of the overwhelming emotions that emerged during our grieving process: anger, confusion, guilt, regret and loneliness. [ Seán Moncrieff: Funeral sandwiches are part of the Irish grieving process Opens in new window ] My frustrations at the church – which forbade 'personal touches' during Deirdre's funeral like eulogies or contemporary music – emerged on the page. As did the decisions my mother and I had to make ahead of the cremation in Liverpool, including selecting the colour of the robe my sister wore. And, of course, those existential questions such as, 'What happens after we die?' In the book, I also recognised the power of nature in the grieving process. Whether it's the ocean, mountain or forest, nature asks nothing of us and accepts us for who we are. After living in museums and galleries in the wake of my sister's death, I eventually found nature to be a better outlet for my thoughts, which encouraged me to draw my attention outwards, allowing my tortured mind a chance to breathe. Four years ago, my existence was bleak, painful and oppressive. But nature, always surprising and renewing, helped bring wonder and hope back into my life. The Wonderful Life of Connie Maguire is published by Mercier Press
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Navan Unveils Navan Cognition: Groundbreaking Agentic AI Platform for Companies to Build AI Workforces
The Only Multi-Agent AI Framework Proven at Scale; Soon Available to Companies Everywhere PALO ALTO, Calif., June 25, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Navan, the all-in-one global travel and expense management platform, today announced Navan Cognition, a groundbreaking new platform that will soon let companies build and deploy teams of advanced, reliable AI workforces. With Navan Cognition, companies of all sizes can create AI-powered teams, not just single-purpose chatbots or basic AI tools, helping them automate and improve complex business tasks. Inspired by the neural connections of the human brain, Navan Cognition deploys a network of specialized, skill-focused AI agents continuously supervised for accuracy and credibility, which prioritizes zero critical hallucinations. Today's AI adoption has created a completely new frontier: the AI workforce. Similar to managing elite human teams, Navan Cognition is designed for companies to build specialized AI agents, instead of relying on a single model which can be more prone to mistakes, especially with complex tasks. Companies will have the ability to provide for continuous learning, performance management, and built-in safeguards for these agents while navigating complex tasks with accuracy. Launched into full-scale production in early 2023, Navan Cognition is already proving its value on the front lines of global travel customer support through Navan's own AI assistant, Ava. Powered by Navan Cognition, Ava replaces hundreds of human agents, handling thousands of chats per day, seamlessly automating complex processes like refunds, travel cancellations, seat upgrades and solving for complex travel disruptions. Navan Cognition will soon be available for companies to build their own enterprise-ready teams of AI agents. "At Navan, we believe the future of AI isn't just about smarter tools, it's about having expert and advanced AI team members working alongside you," said Ilan Twig, Co-Founder and CTO of Navan. "Navan Cognition makes it easy to design, test, and launch sophisticated multi-agent AI applications with simple, plain-language prompts and one-click deployment. We're helping companies bring powerful ideas to life faster, breaking down old barriers, and unlocking new opportunities for real results." Dr. Itamar Kahn, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Columbia University's Mind Brain Behavior Zuckerman Institute, commented: "Navan built something genuinely practical, innovative, and ready for enterprise-scale production - an AI system that reliably handles tens of thousands of sensitive monthly interactions while avoiding entirely critical hallucinations. Navan Cognition's unique differentiation between trivial errors and critical inaccuracies represents a crucial step forward in mission-critical agentic AI." Ready to build an exceptional AI workforce of your own? Sign up for Navan Cognition to reimagine what's possible with AI at About Navan Navan is the leading all-in-one business travel and expense management solution that makes travel easy for frequent travelers. From finding flights and hotels, to automating expense reconciliation, with 24/7 support along the way, Navan delivers an intuitive experience travelers love and finance teams rely on. See how Navan customers benefit and learn more at View source version on Contacts Eric Smithesmith@ Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Fast Company
25-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
How a travel and expense platform is breaking ground on a zero-hallucinations AI workforce
AI hallucinations are one of users' biggest concerns when utilizing large language models (LLMs). And while many might expect front-runners like OpenAI and Anthropic to lead the way in addressing the issue, it's a travel and expenses platform that may be breaking new ground. On Wednesday, Navan revealed its new AI platform, Navan Cognition, which goes beyond single-purpose chatbots and basic AI tools to create an AI workforce capable of automating complex tasks. 'We never do cool technology for the sake of it,' says Ilan Twig, Navan's cofounder and chief technology officer. 'We use the best technologies to drive the best user experience.' On June 20, the company confidentially filed for its initial public offering. Navan was last valued at $9.2 billion in 2022 after raising $304 million in equity and debt financing. Navan's Cognition-powered virtual travel agent, Ava, can book and reschedule flights and hotels, manage upgrades, process expenses, and provide 24/7 support through a conversational chatbot platform. But early in development, the company realized that for AI to be truly reliable, it must work unsupervised—and more importantly, with no critical hallucinations. 'A critical hallucination is when the user somehow, or the bot somehow, gets to the point where something undesirable happens,' Twig says. A hallucination can impact both the user and the company, particularly in terms of travel, whether by 'booking' a flight that doesn't exist to satisfy a request, or offering a free upgrade the user isn't entitled to. With this in mind, Navan began using Cognition through Ava in 2023, ultimately finding that instead of using one generalist chatbot, a network of specialized agents working together produced more accurate and reliable results. 'We focused on a real-life problem, and we built the infrastructure to support that real-life problem,' Twig says. Working as an organization Inspired by the neural connections of the human brain, Navan Cognition deploys a modular multi-agent framework, with AI specialized in different areas, supervised for accuracy. In a way, Cognition works as a company org chart, breaking down AI into various departments with particular specialties, like booking flights or issuing refunds. Other 'departments' serve as compliance for logic, and 'managers' answer questions and liaise with others if a question is unknown. Itamar Kahn, a neuroscience professor and principal investigator at Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute says Navan identified the conditions that cause LLM hallucinations and developed solutions to eliminate them. Kahn, a close friend of Twig, first heard about Cognition in its early stages three years ago, following the framework's development. He also provided support for Twig's recent white paper detailing how Navan Cognition works and what problems it aims to solve. 'I have a shared research interest with Ilan: high-order cognition. Essentially, any kind of system, artificial or biological, can react to changing circumstances in its environment, and respond to those efficiently,' Kahn says. When a user asks Ava a question or assigns a task, Cognition routes it through several specialized agents to determine the best course of action. Meanwhile, a supervising AI agent checks responses for accuracy and credibility, acting as a safeguard. Twig says he was inspired by the way supervisors in call centers review and learn from agent calls. 'So I said, okay, I'm going to have a supervisor,' he tells Fast Company. 'But instead of waiting for the end of the week and sampling two calls, I will actually do it for every response that the agent wants to send back to the user. It will first go to the supervisor to ensure that it doesn't feel or smell like a hallucination.' Navan's departmental-like approach has proven effective, with Ava now handling around 8,000 chats daily, reportedly with zero critical hallucinations. The system's lack of need for human oversight has also helped Navan scale without having to expand its travel support agent workforce. Why is a travel platform at the forefront of AI innovation? Innovation requires curiosity—a trait Twig has carried from childhood into his work at Navan. At age 15, Twig became obsessed with light, building a virtual harp using mirrors, resistors, and the south-facing window of his childhood home in Israel. 'I ended up having eight virtual beams of light connected to the computer. Whenever you disrupted any of the lights, it would generate a note. And it was the Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol . . .' He has nurtured that same inventive spirit on his engineering team at Navan, encouraging fresh thinking on common problems. 'We are curious. We are not afraid of making mistakes,' Twig says. But it wasn't just out-of-the-box thinking that led to Cognition's development. Being a smaller company without a sole focus on AI forced Navan to innovate differently. 'They're not an AI company that is trying to solve the problem of large language models,' Kahn says. 'They wanted to solve this problem for all of these customers. And I think this is why this system is working.' With fewer resources than giants like OpenAI, Navan had to take a creative approach. 'It's a choice of architecture,' Kahn says. Rather than building another LLM to replace one with errors, Navan changed the inputs and outputs that inhibited the hallucinations. With promising results, Navan is now preparing to scale its platform, making the Cognition framework available to other developers and companies to sign up for later this year. 'It is an amazing opportunity, because LLMs are new thing,' Twig says. 'It opens the door to pretty much follow your imagination. And if you are persistent and curious, there is an opportunity to do something that no one else on the planet did.'
Business Wire
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Navan Unveils Navan Cognition: Groundbreaking Agentic AI Platform for Companies to Build AI Workforces
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Navan, the all-in-one global travel and expense management platform, today announced Navan Cognition, a groundbreaking new platform that will soon let companies build and deploy teams of advanced, reliable AI workforces. With Navan Cognition, companies of all sizes can create AI-powered teams, not just single-purpose chatbots or basic AI tools, helping them automate and improve complex business tasks. Inspired by the neural connections of the human brain, Navan Cognition deploys a network of specialized, skill-focused AI agents continuously supervised for accuracy and credibility, which prioritizes zero critical hallucinations. Today's AI adoption has created a completely new frontier: the AI workforce. Similar to managing elite human teams, Navan Cognition is designed for companies to build specialized AI agents, instead of relying on a single model which can be more prone to mistakes, especially with complex tasks. Companies will have the ability to provide for continuous learning, performance management, and built-in safeguards for these agents while navigating complex tasks with accuracy. Launched into full-scale production in early 2023, Navan Cognition is already proving its value on the front lines of global travel customer support through Navan's own AI assistant, Ava. Powered by Navan Cognition, Ava replaces hundreds of human agents, handling thousands of chats per day, seamlessly automating complex processes like refunds, travel cancellations, seat upgrades and solving for complex travel disruptions. Navan Cognition will soon be available for companies to build their own enterprise-ready teams of AI agents. 'At Navan, we believe the future of AI isn't just about smarter tools, it's about having expert and advanced AI team members working alongside you," said Ilan Twig, Co-Founder and CTO of Navan. "Navan Cognition makes it easy to design, test, and launch sophisticated multi-agent AI applications with simple, plain-language prompts and one-click deployment. We're helping companies bring powerful ideas to life faster, breaking down old barriers, and unlocking new opportunities for real results.' Dr. Itamar Kahn, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Columbia University's Mind Brain Behavior Zuckerman Institute, commented: 'Navan built something genuinely practical, innovative, and ready for enterprise-scale production - an AI system that reliably handles tens of thousands of sensitive monthly interactions while avoiding entirely critical hallucinations. Navan Cognition's unique differentiation between trivial errors and critical inaccuracies represents a crucial step forward in mission-critical agentic AI.' Ready to build an exceptional AI workforce of your own? Sign up for Navan Cognition to reimagine what's possible with AI at
