Airbnb CEO Wants AI To Serve as a Better, Cheaper Hotel Front Desk
Platform Sees Boost in International, Urban Bookings
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky often says he doesn't see his company as a direct competitor to the hotel industry, but he does believe his company is poised to deliver some traditional hotel amenities in ways that are better and cheaper.
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky often says he doesn't see his company as a direct competitor to the hotel industry, but he does believe his company is poised to deliver some traditional hotel amenities in ways that are better and cheaper.
During Airbnb's first-quarter 2023 earnings call Tuesday, Chesky said one of the key growth opportunities for his company will be leveraging artificial intelligence — which he called "the biggest revolution" in tech since he arrived in Silicon Valley — for customer service and even inspiration during the early stages of booking, serving as both a virtual front desk and concierge.
Ultimately, what I think Airbnb is building is not just a service or a product, but what we are in the largest sense is a global travel community,
he said. The role of Airbnb in that travel community is to be the ultimate host. Think of us with AI as building the ultimate AI concierge that can understand you. We can build these world-class interfaces in our model.
He noted his company is using OpenAI's ChatGPT4 as the basis for its own AI efforts.