Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on Why AI Agents Aren’t the “New Google”
Hey, have you heard what Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky had to say about AI recently? It’s actually pretty interesting. After the company beat its second-quarter earnings, Chesky shared some insights about how Airbnb is approaching AI, and he made it clear that AI chatbots aren’t going to replace Google anytime soon. That might sound surprising, given all the hype around AI agents right now.
Chesky explained that while AI chatbots can be useful for driving leads and engaging users, they aren’t a substitute for the kind of traffic and referrals that Google generates. In his own words, “AI agents — I don’t think we should think of chatbots like Google — I don’t think we should think of them as the ‘new Google’ yet.” The reason he gives is pretty simple but important: the models powering these chatbots aren’t proprietary. The same technology behind ChatGPT, for example, can also be used by Airbnb or any other company through an API. That means there’s nothing exclusive about the AI itself.
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He also painted a bigger picture of the AI landscape. According to him, it’s not enough just to have a strong model. Companies have to be able to tune it and create custom interfaces for the specific application they’re targeting. Airbnb, for instance, has been building its AI capabilities into customer service first. Their U.S. AI agent has already reduced the number of guests needing human support by 15%. And this wasn’t a simple task, Chesky noted, because customer service AI can’t afford to hallucinate — it has to give accurate, helpful responses every time.
The AI agent itself was built using 13 different models and trained on tens of thousands of conversations. Currently, it’s available in English in the U.S., but Airbnb plans to expand it to other languages this year. By next year, it will become even more personalized and agentic, meaning it could not only guide a user through canceling a reservation but actually do it for them. It could also assist with planning and booking trips, and AI integration into Airbnb’s search functions is on the horizon as well.
Chesky emphasized that while Airbnb is open to working with major AI chatbots like ChatGPT, no firm decisions have been made yet. Users would still need an Airbnb account to book stays, which means AI isn’t going to commoditize their business like booking flights has been. Instead, AI is seen as a way to generate leads and enhance the overall experience, keeping Airbnb as the first stop for people planning travel.
So basically, Airbnb is moving toward becoming an AI-first app, but Chesky is cautious about the role AI will play. It’s clear that AI will help improve the platform and streamline service, but it’s not a replacement for search engines like Google or a shortcut to massive growth. And with Airbnb’s recent revenue of $3.1 billion and plans for AI-driven enhancements, it’s safe to say that the future of travel is going to look a lot smarter — just not fully automated yet.
If you want, I can also make a slightly punchier 3–4 minute spoken version that sounds like you’re actually explaining it to an audience live. It would feel even more natural and story-like. Do you want me to do that?
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