Airbnb to integrate AI into its platform for improved experience
What's the story
Airbnb has announced plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities into its platform. The move comes as part of a broader strategy to leverage large language models (LLMs) for improving customer discovery, support, and engineering. CEO Brian Chesky unveiled the ambitious vision during the company's fourth-quarter conference call.
User-centric approach
An 'AI-native experience' for the app
Chesky said the company is working on an "AI-native experience" for its app. He explained that this would go beyond just searching for properties, but also knowing users' preferences. The new features are expected to assist guests in planning their trips and help hosts manage their properties more effectively. "It will help guests plan their entire trip, help hosts better run their businesses," Chesky said.
Feature trial
New AI search feature in the works
Airbnb is also testing a new feature that allows users to search and ask questions about properties and locations using natural language queries. The company already has an LLM-powered customer service bot for some personalization and communication tasks. However, Chesky said the new AI search feature will evolve into a more comprehensive experience extending throughout the trip.
Monetization strategy
Sponsored property slots within AI search
When asked about the possibility of introducing sponsored property slots within AI search, Chesky said the company wants to perfect the design and user experience first. He added that while AI search is currently available to a small percentage of traffic, there are plans for more experimentation. This could include making AI search more conversational and possibly integrating sponsored listings in the future.
Support advancements
AI bot to handle customer calls
Airbnb's AI-powered customer support bot, which was launched in North America last year, now resolves a third of customer issues without human intervention. Chesky revealed plans to let customers call the AI bot for support and expand language coverage to customer service. He also hinted at the possibility of significantly more than 30% of tickets being handled by the AI in multiple languages within a year.