Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said the company has not yet integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT into its app, and that it typically doesn't use OpenAI's latest AI tools extensively.
According to Chesky, ChatGPT's app integration tools are "not yet robust enough" and not yet ready for a platform like Airbnb that relies on a verified user community. He said he will monitor the situation in the future and may consider collaborating if necessary.
Faster and Cheaper AI Alternatives
Chesky explained why Airbnb hasn't used OpenAI's latest AI tools extensively in production: "Because there are faster and cheaper models."
He said the company's recently improved AI customer service agent is based on 13 different AI models, including OpenAI, Alphabet's Google, and other open-source providers, as well as Alibaba Group's "Qwen" model. Chesky specifically praised Alibaba’s model as “very good, fast, and cheap,” and said the company has “a lot of confidence” in it.
Success of New AI Customer Service Agent
Airbnb recently announced that it has upgraded its in-app AI customer service agent, which is now available in English for all U.S. users. The update allows customers to perform more actions on their own, such as changing or canceling reservations, without the need for a live representative.
The company said that the update has reduced the number of users who need to contact a live representative by 15% and reduced the average resolution time from about three hours to six seconds. Airbnb plans to add Spanish and French later this year, and 56 more languages next year.
Chesky also predicted that the AI revolution is still in its infancy, and that it will create a lot of excitement in the consumer app segment in the coming years.
