Airbnb is accelerating its push into artificial intelligence, with CEO Brian Chesky outlining plans to embed large language model–powered features across search, trip planning, customer support, and host tools. Speaking during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Chesky said Airbnb is building an “AI-native experience” where the app doesn’t just return listings, but understands users and helps plan entire trips end to end.
The company is currently testing a new AI-driven search feature that allows users to ask natural language questions about properties and destinations. While still live for only a small portion of users, Chesky said the feature will evolve into a more conversational experience that extends throughout the travel journey. Sponsored listings could eventually appear within AI search results, though Airbnb says design and user experience come first.
Airbnb is also expanding its AI-powered customer service. The company said its existing chatbot now resolves about a third of customer issues in North America without human involvement, with plans to add voice-based AI support and expand language coverage globally. Over time, Airbnb expects significantly more than 30% of support tickets to be handled by AI.
The strategy will be guided by newly hired CTO Ahmad Al-Dahle, previously a leader on Meta’s Llama models. Airbnb believes its vast dataset — including verified identities and hundreds of millions of reviews — gives it a unique edge over generic AI tools. The company reported Q4 revenue of $2.78 billion, up 12% year over year, and says internal AI adoption is also rising, with 80% of engineers already using AI tools.
