Airbnb began rolling out AI-powered customer service bots in the US last month, CEO Brian Chesky said in a first quarter conference call on Thursday.
Chesky added that 50% of Airbnb's US users already use AI Bot for customer service, and that the company plans to deploy the feature to all users in the country this month.
“One thing I say about AI [is that] It definitely makes the customer experience easier […] It already brings a 15% reduction in people who need to contact living human agents,” he said in an analyst call.
Last year, the company told TechCrunch it was testing its technology but testing it only in a limited way with specific queries.
“I think there are many possibilities to apply AI to your business. I'm thinking a lot about how AI can change the experience in the consumer segment over time,” Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk told TechCrunch at that point.
Unlike many startups from Openai, Google, Prperxity, and SLEW (an AI tool that allows users to perform tasks on their behalf), Airbnb appears to take a more measured approach with AI. Chesky said in February that the company believes the technology is still in its infancy before AI can use it for customer service and implement it for other uses such as travel planning and booking tickets.
Meanwhile, competitors Expedia and Booking.com have invested heavily in the technology, launching AI features such as building itineraries, planning trips, and real-time travel updates.
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Airbnb reports that its first quarter total revenue was $2.27 billion, up 6% from the previous year. However, the company predicts its current quarterly revenues will be slightly below analyst expectations, indicating it expects travel demand to slow down as the global tariff war hurts sentiment and blocks discretionary spending.