Airbnb Deploys AI for Search and Support
Airbnb is integrating AI into its platform to power new search and booking tools, aiming to provide more personalized user experiences. The company has also replaced some human customer support roles with AI agents, which it claims are cheaper and more effective. The AI-powered features are currently being tested with plans for a global rollout.
- To accelerate its AI development, Airbnb acquired the 12-person stealth AI startup GamePlanner.AI for nearly $200 million. The startup was co-founded by Adam Cheyer, who was also a co-founder of Siri. - The AI-powered customer support assistant, which launched in the U.S., currently resolves about one-third of all customer support requests without human intervention. Airbnb plans to roll out this feature globally later this year. - CEO Brian Chesky envisions the platform's AI evolving into an "ultimate AI concierge" that provides personalized advice and travel planning, moving beyond simple search queries. - Internally, Airbnb is pushing for wide adoption of artificial intelligence, with a goal of having 100% of its engineers utilize AI tools in their work. - Beyond customer-facing features, Airbnb has already implemented AI tools for its hosts, including a feature that uses an AI engine to automatically create a photo tour of a property by recognizing and organizing photos by room. - The broader travel industry is also heavily investing in AI, with competitors like Expedia and Hopper using it for personalized recommendations, dynamic pricing, and predicting flight prices. - The new AI search feature allows users to use natural, conversational language to describe their desired rental and amenities, rather than relying on filters. This functionality is currently in a testing phase with a small percentage of users.
