Two congressional committees probe Airbnb's Qwen use for customer service
Business
Airbnb is under the spotlight as two US congressional committees investigate its use of Chinese-made artificial intelligence (AI) tools, especially Alibaba's Qwen model, for customer service.
Lawmakers are concerned that using affordable, open-source AI from China could put American data and business security at risk.
Brian Chesky explains Qwen choice
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky explained that they went with Alibaba's Qwen because Airbnb's connective tools were "not quite ready" yet, though he's open to working with OpenAI in the future.
While Airbnb is focused on making customer interactions smoother with AI, it says user privacy and security remain top priorities as they navigate these tech choices.