The New Age(nts): The Convergence of AI and Digital ID

Summary

The New Age(nts) Trend Series is a series of online conversations hosted by Phocuswright exploring the impact of generative AI (GenAI) and autonomous agents on the travel industry. Five online events are taking place from March through September of 2025 which align with the five trends outlined in the report Travel Innovation and Technology Trends 2025.

In this installment of The New Age(nts) series, experts mulled over the convergence of AI and digital identity reshaping the foundation of travel distribution. While travelers increasingly express interest in booking via AI, today’s infrastructure still lags behind expectations. Experts argue that portable digital IDs, open offers and trust frameworks are essential for enabling AI agents to act securely and intelligently on travelers’ behalf. If adopted at scale, this shift could unlock not just seamless bookings but also new revenue opportunities in post-sale services and personalization, ideally delivering the long-promised vision of the “connected trip”.

This analysis briefly covers the most important takeaways from the discussion and subsequent audience questions for Phocuswright subscribers.

Key questions answered by this summary (and its corresponding video seminar) include:

• How can portable digital identity enable AI agents to deliver seamless and secure travel bookings?
• What role do open offers and publishing models play in reducing inefficiencies like high look-to-book ratios?
• How can loyalty, fraud prevention, and governance be redefined in the era of agentic AI?
• What opportunities—and risks—does the convergence of AI and digital ID present for incumbents, suppliers, and intermediaries in the travel ecosystem?