Emirates has teamed up with OpenAI to bring artificial intelligence to the forefront of aviation, aiming to enhance operations, customer experience, and strategic innovation. The partnership will see the deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise, specialized training programs, and the creation of a framework to embed AI across the airline’s enterprise operations.
A strategic collaboration for AI adoption
Emirates and OpenAI have formalized a strategic collaboration focused on advancing AI adoption and innovation across the airline. At the heart of the partnership is the enterprise-wide deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise, complemented by:
- Tailored AI literacy programs for staff
- Technical exploration to identify and implement AI-driven solutions
- Executive strategic alignment to integrate AI into long-term organizational planning
Ali Serdar Yakut, Executive Vice President of IT at Emirates, highlighted the potential of the collaboration:“We see enormous potential for AI technology to support our business requirements, helping us tackle complex commercial challenges, strengthening our operations, and enhancing the customer experience. Closely working with OpenAI will make our technology investments both strategic and scalable, enabling us to deliver enhanced value to our employees and customers, fundamentally changing how we innovate, deliver value, and maintain our competitive edge in the industry.”
Transforming operations and customer experience
The partnership aims to explore practical AI use cases across Emirates’ operations. This includes:
- Developing an internal AI champion network to drive adoption
- Establishing an
AI Centre of Excellence to guide research, experimentation, and deployment - Identifying key areas to enhance and expand AI capabilities, covering the necessary skills, processes, and technology
Rod Solaimani, Regional Director for MENA & Central Asia at OpenAI, stated:“Emirates Group has laid out a bold vision for how AI can transform the future of aviation. With this collaboration, we’re proud to help them bring that vision to life, embedding intelligence across their operations, empowering teams with powerful new tools, and reimagining the travel experience for millions of customers.”
Leadership engagement and innovation access
As part of the collaboration, Emirates and OpenAI will run dedicated leadership sessions to:
- Explore practical AI applications for business challenges
- Build advocacy and sponsorship for AI initiatives
- Provide executives with visibility into OpenAI’s product roadmap for long-term planning
Additionally, Emirates will gain early access to cutting-edge AI research and emerging breakthroughs, along with collaboration opportunities on government-led innovation projects and accelerators.
Optimizing AI integration
The technology teams from Emirates and OpenAI will work closely to optimize integration of AI models, focusing on:
- Rapid prototyping and deployment best practices
- Sandbox environments to accelerate experimentation
- Exploring diverse use cases powered by generative AI
This structured approach is designed to ensure that Emirates maximizes the strategic value of AI, embedding intelligence across its operations while empowering employees and enhancing the customer experience.
