Airbnb to Integrate AI for Smarter Search and Support
▼ Summary
– Airbnb is launching new AI features to help users search for listings, plan trips, and assist hosts in managing their properties.
– The company is testing a natural language search feature and aims to build a more comprehensive, conversational, and intuitive AI-native experience.
– Airbnb’s AI-powered customer service bot already handles a third of support issues in North America, with plans to expand it to voice support and more languages.
– The company plans to leverage its data and new CTO’s AI expertise to improve the app and increase internal AI usage, aiming for 100% of engineers to use AI tools.
– CEO Brian Chesky stated that sponsored listings within AI search are a future consideration, but the current focus is on perfecting the design and user experience first.
Airbnb is moving decisively to embed artificial intelligence across its platform, aiming to transform how guests discover properties and plan trips while helping hosts manage their businesses. CEO Brian Chesky outlined this strategic shift, describing a future where the app evolves from a simple search tool into an AI-native experience that understands user preferences and assists with comprehensive trip planning. This initiative leverages large language models to enhance customer discovery, support services, and internal engineering efficiency.
During a recent earnings discussion, Chesky emphasized the company’s vision. He explained that the goal is to move beyond traditional search filters. Instead, the platform will utilize natural language processing, allowing users to ask detailed questions about listings and destinations in everyday conversation. A test feature for this more intuitive search is already underway with a limited user group.
The company is proceeding carefully with the integration of sponsored listings within these new AI-driven search results. Chesky stated that the primary focus is on perfecting the core design and user experience first. “We are doing a lot of experimentation,” he noted, adding that sponsored placements would be considered later, with any advertising designed to fit seamlessly into a conversational search flow.
To accelerate these efforts, Airbnb is leveraging the expertise of its new Chief Technology Officer, Ahmad Al-Dahle, who previously worked on AI models at Meta. The plan involves using the platform’s vast repository of user identity and review data to make the AI tools more personalized and effective.
On the customer service front, Airbnb’s existing AI support bot, launched in North America, now autonomously resolves about one-third of customer issues. The ambition is to significantly expand this capability. Chesky projected that within a year, AI could handle a much larger share of support tickets across many more languages. Furthermore, this AI customer service will expand from text-based chat to include voice support, allowing users to call the bot for assistance.
Internally, Airbnb is also pushing for broader AI adoption. Currently, 80% of the company’s engineers use AI tools in their development work, with a stated goal of reaching 100% usage to boost productivity and innovation.
This technological push comes as the company reports strong financial performance, with fourth-quarter revenue reaching $2.78 billion, a 12% increase from the previous year. The integration of AI represents a foundational shift for Airbnb as it seeks to create a more intelligent, responsive, and efficient platform for the global travel community.
(Source: TechCrunch)
