The Real AI Breakthrough at ITB Isn’t What People Think - #110

I just got back from three days at ITB Berlin, walking the halls, talking to founders, payment companies, and travel executives.AI was the topic everywhere. Everyone knows it matters. But what struck me is how early we still are. Most people have experimented with tools like ChatGPT, yet very few teams are actually using AI inside their real workflows.The big shift seems to happen when people start working with tools like Claude Code or OpenAI Codex and point them at their own folders, data, and processes. Suddenly AI stops being a chatbot and becomes something you can actually delegate work to.In this episode I share a few things that stood out from ITB:– why many travel companies feel pressure around AI but don’t know where to start– why the next wave of innovation might come from very small AI tools solving niche operational problems– why stablecoins and crypto payments are still barely discussed in the industry– and an experiment I’m starting with a public AI agent that tries to negotiate hotel pricesThink of it as a quick field report from inside the travel tech ecosystem.