Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Says Customer Service Is the Company's 'Hardest Problem.' Here's How They're Using AI to Fix It.

Airbnb is prioritizing AI, starting pinch customer service, and making changes that will impact everything from really guests book properties to really hosts make their listings much competitive.

In Airbnb's second-quarter net report connected Wednesday, the picnic rental institution reported that it beat expectations for revenue, which grew by 13% from the aforesaid play past twelvemonth to $3.1 billion. CEO Brian Chesky predicted that Airbnb would go "an AI-first application" complete the adjacent fewer years successful an earnings call pursuing the report.

"I deliberation you can't do recreation readying without AI going forward," Chesky said connected the call. "We've chosen a very circumstantial measurement to attack AI."

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How Airbnb is utilizing AI

On the call, Chesky said that immoderate companies person chosen to incorporated AI into recreation readying and inspiration, which he deemed "the little stakes portion of travel." Airbnb, connected the different hand, has started pinch what Chesky called "the hardest problem," which is the task of customer work AI helping pinch recreation plans.

"Customer work is the hardest problem because the stakes are high," Chesky explained connected the call. He pointed retired that users request answers quickly, and the AI has to beryllium meticulous erstwhile handling tasks for illustration canceling a reservation.

To tackle customer service, Chesky said Airbnb created a civilization AI agent based connected tens of thousands of conversations. It useful for illustration this: When users scope retired to the AI supplier to cancel a reservation, it not only knows really to do it but besides taps into circumstantial knowledge astir which preservation the personification wants to cancel.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. Photo by Myunggu Han/Getty Images for Airbnb

In April, the institution softly started deploying the AI bot in the U.S. successful English. Chesky said connected Wednesday's telephone that 15% less users request to talk to a quality customer work typical aft releasing the bot. The institution plans to grow the supplier to much languages this twelvemonth and infuse it pinch precocious features, specified arsenic the expertise to hunt and thief users scheme and book their adjacent trip.

For hosts, Airbnb is exploring different ways to show pricing. In May, the institution announced a caller almanac for hosts pinch amended pricing suggestions to thief optimize the competitiveness of their listings.

Related: 'I Can't Get Everyone to Move Here': Why Airbnb's CEO Is Sticking With a Once-a-Month Hybrid Schedule

Customer work is conscionable 1 measurement Airbnb is going to go an AI-first app complete the adjacent fewer years. The institution is besides going to bring AI to recreation hunt adjacent year, Chesky stated connected the call.

Airbnb has undergone a number of changes recently. In May, the institution announced a revamped app pinch the action to book "Services" aliases experiences for illustration massages, individual training, and beauty services. In the aforesaid month, Airbnb also introduced group messaging, expanding who tin interact pinch an Airbnb host, and shared wishlists for users to bookmark their favourite rentals together.

Airbnb had much than 5 cardinal hosts and 1.5 cardinal impermanent check-ins arsenic of 2024, according to Statista.

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