● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact
Expedia's AI chief proposes evals as a replacement for PRDs
Xavi Amatriain, Expedia's AI chief, introduced the concept of using evals instead of traditional PRDs for product development at VB Transform 2026. This shift emphasizes incorporating security and evaluation criteria from the outset, impacting how companies might approach product design and AI integration.
Key points
- Evals could replace traditional PRDs in product design
- Focus on embedding security requirements early in development
- 66% of enterprises allow production deployment without human review
Introduction of Evals as PRD Replacement
Xavi Amatriain, Expedia Group's first chief AI and data officer, articulated a new approach to product design at the VB Transform 2026 conference, suggesting evals should replace the traditional Product Requirement Documents (PRDs). He explained that evals could include various testing methods, such as red teaming, to ensure security criteria are integrated before coding begins.
Future of AI and Code Development
Amatriain posited that as AI-assisted and AI-generated coding becomes more prevalent, the focus of development will shift towards these evals. He stated, "all your thinking is gonna go into the evals," indicating a fundamental change in how programmers conceive product requirements.
Concerns Over Automated Evaluations
The discussion at the event referenced findings from VentureBeat's VB Pulse research, which highlighted a gap in enterprise trust regarding automated evaluations. While 66% of surveyed enterprises allow some deployment without human oversight, only 5% have full confidence in these evaluations. This lack of trust raises concerns about the reliability of AI-generated decisions in customer-facing scenarios.
Balancing Guardrails and Feedback
Amatriain criticized excessive guardrails and strict rules, asserting they can hinder feedback loops and lead to biased learning from users. While acknowledging the need for some constraints, he suggested a philosophy prioritizing minimal impact from these guardrails.
Establishing Governance through Principles
Expedia's approach to governing AI involves setting high-level principles communicated across the organization. Amatriain expressed the importance of embedding these principles into the company's culture, followed by processes and tools that enforce them, with automation supporting these structures.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
Xavi Amatriain, Expedia's AI chief, introduced the concept of using evals instead of traditional PRDs for product development at VB Transform 2026. This shift emphasizes incorporating security and evaluation criteria from the outset, impacting how companies might approach product design and AI integration.