Airbnb CEO: New AI-Powered App Will Take Years to Develop

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky reveals that the transformation of Airbnb into a fully AI-powered application will take years, aiming to create a digital travel concierge that adapts to individual users.

Long-Term Vision for Airbnb's AI Integration

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced that the company’s ambitious plan to rebuild its app with AI at its core will take several years to materialize. During a recent earnings call, Chesky elaborated on the long-term vision for Airbnb, explaining that the ultimate goal is to create a digital travel concierge that learns and adapts to each user’s preferences.

“It’s going to take a number of years to develop this,” Chesky said. “And so it won’t be in the next year that this will happen.”

Rebuilding the App with AI

Previously, Chesky had projected that Airbnb would be rebuilt with AI at the center by May 2024. However, in a May interview with Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit, he acknowledged that these plans would take longer than initially anticipated. Despite the delay, Chesky remains optimistic about the future of AI integration in Airbnb.

The Need for AI-Native Applications

Chesky highlighted a significant gap in the current technology landscape, noting that while advancements in computer chips and generative AI models have been substantial, the development of AI-native applications has lagged.

“If you look at your home screen, which of your apps are fundamentally different because of generative AI? Very little, especially even less in e-commerce or travel,” Chesky remarked.

He emphasized the need to develop AI applications that are native to the latest AI models, a frontier that has yet to be fully explored.

Envisioning the Future of Airbnb

Beyond simple chatbots, Chesky envisions a future where Airbnb’s AI-powered app will act as a comprehensive travel concierge, capable of making personalized recommendations for travel destinations and activities. This vision includes the potential for the app to facilitate end-to-end trip planning.

Airbnb, which acquired HotelTonight in 2019, already offers hotel room bookings and plans to integrate this service more seamlessly into the AI-powered app. Additionally, the company intends to relaunch its experiences next year, further expanding the range of services available through the platform.

“There are opportunities down the road with this new interface to sell new things, including hotels and everything,” Chesky added.

Managing Expectations

Reflecting on the initial excitement following the release of ChatGPT in late 2022, Chesky noted that while the travel industry was quick to embrace the potential of generative AI, practical applications will take time to develop.

“When [ChatGPT launched], I think we all got incredibly excited. It was kind of like the moment probably some of us first discovered the Internet or maybe when the iPhone was launched,” Chesky said. “I think that’s still true. But I think one of the things we’ve learned over the last nearly two years since ChatGPT launched is that it’s going to take a lot longer than people think for applications to change.”