Airbnb began rolling out an AI-powered customer service bot in the U.S. last month, CEO Brian Chesky during its first-quarter earnings call on Thursday.
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Chesky said 50% of Airbnb users in the U.S. already use the bot for customer service, adding that the company plans to expand the feature to all users in the country within the month. Last year, the company told TechCrunch that it was testing the technology, but in a limited way and only for specific requests.
Unlike companies like OpenAI, Google, Perplexity, and many startups developing AI agents (artificial intelligence that performs tasks on behalf of the user), Airbnb seems to be taking a more cautious approach to adopting the technology.
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Chesky said in February that the company would use AI technology first for customer service, before applying it to other uses such as travel planning or ticket booking, as he believes the technology is still in its early stages.
At the same time, Airbnb competitors, such as Expedia and Booking.com, are investing heavily in technology, launching artificial intelligence features that include creating travel itineraries, planning routes and providing real-time updates for travelers.
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Airbnb reported total revenue of $2.27 billion for the first quarter, up 6% from the same period last year. However, the company forecast that next quarter’s revenue would be slightly below analysts’ estimates and noted that it expects travel demand to slow as the global trade war affects consumer sentiment and discourages non-essential spending.
Source: techcrunch
