Canadian business travellers embrace unapproved AI tools

SAP Concur has released survey data showing that 70% of Canadian business travellers have used or would use unapproved AI tools for work trips, highlighting a gap between company policy and employee behaviour.

The research found that 70% of respondents had used AI-powered tools to support some aspect of business travel. Common uses included planning trip agendas, tracking expenses during travel and assessing travel risks. Some also used AI to rebook trips, compare travel options during booking and complete expense reports after returning.

The figures suggest many employees are turning to consumer or unauthorised software when approved options do not meet their needs or are unavailable. Among Canadian respondents, 38% said they preferred tools other than those approved by their employer, while 32% said their company did not provide AI tools for travel planning or booking.

Differences also emerged across age groups, work patterns and travel types. Openness to using unapproved AI tools was highest among Gen Z travellers at 79% and Millennials at 76%, falling to 62% for Gen X and 49% for Boomers.

Remote workers were more likely than fully on-site staff to say they had used or would use shadow AI, at 81% compared with 71%. The survey also found a divide between international and domestic business travellers, with 75% of international travellers saying they had used or would use such tools, compared with 63% of those travelling only within Canada.

Travel tasks

Asked how they used AI in business travel, 29% of respondents said they used it to plan trip agendas. Another 24% used it to track expenses during a trip, while 20% used it to assess travel-related risks.

About 18% said they used AI tools to rebook or change trips, and the same share used them to curate travel options during booking. A further 18% said they used AI to complete expense reports after travel.

The findings add to the broader corporate technology debate over so-called shadow AI, in which staff use software that has not been approved by their employer. In business travel, that can involve entering itinerary details, expense data or other company information into third-party systems outside formal controls.

Finance leaders are already concerned about the trend: 96% of Chief Financial Officers surveyed said shadow AI in business travel worried them.

Brian Veloso, Managing Director, SAP Concur Canada, said the issue reflects the growing availability of consumer AI products and how easily workers can adopt them without formal approval.

"It's a huge worry for business leaders. Ninety-six per cent of CFOs say they're concerned by shadow AI in business travel," said Brian Veloso, Managing Director, SAP Concur Canada.

"As consumer AI tools proliferate, they open the door for employees to use unsanctioned systems for booking or planning business travel. Unfortunately, this shadow AI can create security risks, particularly when employees input sensitive data or connect business systems to unauthorised software. Leaders must educate workers on the risks and provide T&E tools that deliver the desired level of AI support," Veloso said.

What workers want

The survey also examined which AI features employees most want in approved workplace tools. More than a third, or 38%, said they wanted AI integrations in other parts of their workflow, such as presentation software and calendars.

Just over a quarter, 26%, said they wanted AI embedded in communication tools such as Teams or Slack. The same proportion wanted proactive AI reminders or alerts prompting them to book travel.

Elsewhere, 22% said they wanted chatbot interfaces within existing booking tools, while 23% wanted AI integrated into role-specific systems such as customer relationship management software.

The data indicates that demand for AI in business travel is not limited to booking flights or hotels. Employees appear to want tools that support planning, communications, reporting and wider workflow systems, which may explain why some are choosing products outside their employer's approved software stack.

For companies, the results underline both a governance problem and a software choice issue. If official tools lag behind employee expectations, workers may continue to bring in their own AI applications for practical day-to-day tasks on the road.

Among Canadian business travellers surveyed, 32% said their employer does not offer AI tools for planning or booking travel.