AI Features Planned For Search And Hosting
Airbnb is preparing to add features powered by large language models to its app to help users search for listings, plan trips, and help hosts manage their properties, CEO Brian Chesky said Friday during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call. Chesky said the company plans to expand its use of large language models across customer discovery, customer support, and engineering. “We are building an AI-native experience where the app does not just search for you. It knows you. It will help guests plan their entire trip, help hosts better run their businesses, and help the company operate more efficiently at scale,” he said.
Testing Natural Language Search
The company said it is testing a new feature that allows users to search and ask questions about properties and locations using natural language. Airbnb currently offers an LLM powered customer service bot for some personalization and communications. The new AI search feature is expected to evolve into a broader search experience that continues through the trip, according to the company.
Advertising And Design Questions
When asked by an analyst whether Airbnb would introduce sponsored property slots within AI search, Chesky said the company wants to focus first on design and user experience. He said AI search is live to a small percentage of traffic and that the company is running experiments. He said Airbnb plans to make AI search more conversational, integrate it into more parts of the trip, and later consider sponsored listings. He added that the company would look at designing an ad unit that fits a conversational search flow.
Leadership And Data Use
Chesky said Airbnb plans to use the AI experience of its new chief technology officer, Ahmad Al-Dahle, who previously worked on Meta’s Llama models. He said the company intends to use its identity and review data to make the app more useful.
Customer Support And Voice Expansion
Airbnb said its AI powered customer support bot, launched in North America last year, now handles about one third of customer issues without human intervention. Chesky said the company plans to let customers call the AI bot for support and to expand language coverage. “A year from now, if we are successful, significantly more than 30% of tickets will be handled by a customer service agent, in many more languages, in all the languages where we have live agents. AI customer service will not only be chat, it will be voice,” he said.
Internal Use And Financial Results
The company said 80% of its engineers currently use AI tools, with a goal of reaching full adoption. Airbnb reported fourth quarter revenue of $2.78 billion, up 12% from a year earlier, which the company said was above expectations.
Featured image credits: rawpixel.com
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.