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AI at trivago: from experimentation to everyday impact
Between 2023 and 2025, our approach to artificial intelligence shifted from isolated experimentation to company-wide integration. This transformation has delivered measurable productivity gains, accelerated innovation, and fostered a culture of knowledge sharing. As our AI Ambassador group celebrates its two-year anniversary in October 2025, we reflect on the data, the challenges, and the strategic direction for AI at trivago.
Empowering our 700 talents to have the impact of 7,000
Ioannis Papadopoulos, our new Chief Technology Officer, set the tone: trivago’s vision is to empower its almost 700 talents to have the impact of 7,000 – with AI as a key enabler. This ambition is reflected in both the company’s cultural mindset and its operational investments.
In just two years, AI has become a core part of our operations:
- >90% of employees now use AI tools daily or weekly.
- >70% report a positive or very positive sentiment toward AI at work.
- 16 days saved per person per year on average, thanks to AI-driven efficiencies.
“We’re shifting from a ‘+AI’ mindset to ‘AI+’”
– Carolina Muradas – Strategy & Operations Lead, and AI Ambassador group founder
Carolina Muradas, who founded the AI Ambassadors group two years ago shared that this is not just a shift in technology, but a shift in mindset – from adding AI to existing processes to reimagining work with AI at the center.
Champions of change
The AI Ambassadors are at the heart of trivago’s AI evolution. A cross-functional group that meets bi-weekly to share knowledge, benchmark solutions, and ensure that AI adoption is both strategic and inclusive.
Not just technical experts – but acting as connectors, educators, and advocates for a smarter, more collaborative trivago. Knowledge sharing is now a core value, with each group member serving as go-to resources for guidance and collaboration.
Productivity: tangible gains across departments
When comparing our annual internal survey on AI usage, the results show that AI has a quantifiable impact:
- 30–60 minutes saved per day is the most common response across all teams.
- 15–20% of employees, especially in technical and product roles, save over an hour daily.
- trivago Copilot is the most widely adopted internal tool, with daily use reported across all departments. In 2025, over 500 trivago employees are active users of the company’s main internal AI assistant. This represents approximately 70% of all talents engaging with it daily.
Key use cases include:
- Data analysis and insights.
- Drafting and refining content – including OKRs, projects plan, messages and more.
- Technical support and troubleshooting.
Many departments have integrated AI into its workflows, from coding and documentation in Hotel Search, to contract review in Finance & Legal, to campaign analysis in Marketing.
“AI at trivago is no longer an experiment on the side. It’s part of the engine – shaping decisions, scaling creativity, and helping us think bigger, not just move faster.”
– Sahil Maniar – Product Manager & AI Ambassadors
Year-over-year trends: sustained growth
- AI adoption rate rose sharply from 55% in 2023 to 90% in 2025, indicating widespread integration and acceptance.
- Average workdays saved per person/year doubled, showing tangible productivity gains: 16 days saved per person per year on average in 2025, in comparison to 8 days in 2023, thanks to AI-driven efficiencies.
Sentiment: optimism, but with higher expectations
- Very Negative sentiment dropped by 50% from 2024 to 2025.
- Neutral sentiment decreased by 39.3% from 2023, showing that more people are forming a clear opinion about AI.
- Very Positive sentiment dipped slightly by 4.3%, suggesting rising expectations for reliability and value.
“AI adoption isn’t about pressure; it’s about giving people permission to explore. I love seeing trivago develop from discomfort to discovery as we begin to understand how AI can support us with confidence and innovation.”
– Dharani Raman, trivago AI Ambassador
Governance and knowledge sharing
At trivago, we have adopted the practice of utilizing OKRs, which stands for Objectives and Key Results, as a strategic framework to effectively align our goals and systematically measure our progress over time. As part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability, the AI Ambassadors group’s previous cycle OKRs included:
- Agentic Approach: Piloting and benchmarking internal and external AI solutions – both SaaS and custom built platforms.
- Flexible Procurement: New three-path process (Green, Yellow, Red) for testing and adopting AI tools, balancing speed and risk mitigation.
- Knowledge Sharing: Regular company-wide updates, like Show & Tell events, tailored video playlists, team-specific training, and practical use-case videos to keep the entire organisation informed and engaged.
- trv-AI Radar: A live dashboard categorising all tested and approved AI tools by function and adoption status, ensuring compliance and data safety, currently with 42 tools mapped.
AI in action: innovations across the organization
AI at trivago extends beyond the efforts of just a single champion group. In fact, the implementation and advancement of artificial intelligence at trivago involve a collaborative approach where many other teams actively contribute to the development and delivery of concrete solutions. This collective effort ensures that a diverse range of ideas and innovations are brought to the forefront. To illustrate this collaborative spirit, here are some notable examples from the past few months that showcase the impactful work being done across various teams:
- IT Support Chatbot: live since February 2025, it handles talents IT-related questions with a positive 35% automatic resolution rate, reflecting strong adoption of self-service support.
- Automated Competitive Intelligence: our User Research team now tracks twice as many competitors, thanks to AI-driven news and A/B test monitoring
- Illustration AI Agent: one of our latest AI-agents, enables instant, on-brand image generation for internal presentations and documentation.
Looking ahead: scaling impact
trivago’s AI journey from 2023 to 2025 is a story of growth, learning, and adaptation. The combination of robust data, active community leadership, and a culture of sharing ensures that trivago is not just keeping up with the AI revolution, but helping to shape it.
The journey is far from over. The data shows clear progress, but also highlights the need for ongoing investment in training and governance. The focus is now on purposeful integration, using AI to solve real business problems, empower teams, and unlock new revenue streams. At trivago, we are committed to scaling its AI capabilities, expanding use cases, and strengthening ethical AI governance – all of it by continuing to foster a culture of experimentation and Fanatic Learning.
Thanks to Carolina Muradas and other members of our AI Ambassadors group for compiling this article!
