According to a study by Egencia, the business travel arm of Expedia, business travelers have mixed emotions when it comes to emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, and the impact on the travel experience.

Results from the fourth-edition Egencia Business Travel and Technology Survey show U.S. business travelers are more optimistic about the potential of emerging technologies to improve the business travel experience than business travelers abroad.

More than half of U.S. business travelers believe AI advancements can improve travel, and 62 percent reject the belief AI and VR could significantly disrupt society as we know it.

“The adoption of new technologies is increasingly happening on the consumer side, ahead of the corporate world. AI and VR are no exception and are very much in their infancy. However, similar to disruptors in other technology-led industries, investments in new technologies that create simplicity and improvements in experience will ultimately win over business travelers and drive significant change in the overall industry,” said Michael Gulmann, chief product officer, Egencia.

While travelers are cautiously optimistic technologies can improve the business travel experience, they recognize the need for balance between technology and human interaction. When compared to U.S. business travelers, those in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Singapore have more concerns about technology and its impact on travel.

At 37 percent, Sweden and Norway were the least likely to believe AI advancements will improve travel experiences, followed by 41 percent in the United Kingdom and Germany, 42 percent in Australia, 44 percent in Canada and France and 47 percent in Singapore.

When asked if AI and VR could have a serious negative impact on mankind, 72 percent of business travelers in Norway said no, compared to 70 percent in Sweden, 67 percent in the United Kingdom, 64 percent in Canada and Germany, 61 percent in France and 60 percent in Australia and Singapore.

Interestingly, while business travelers in Europe and APAC countries are more pessimistic on the promise of emerging technologies for business travel compared to U.S. counterparts, they still demand more mobile accessibility across devices. Sixty-eight percent of business travelers in Singapore and Sweden want to efficiently manage their travel across devices. The United States is the most demanding of technology, with 76 percent wanting greater cross-device integration.