Airbnb’s AI Plan: No Chatbot, More Personalization

Airbnb is still working on integrating AI throughout its app, but it won’t include an AI chatbot for trip planning – at least not yet. 

Dave Stephenson, chief business officer for Airbnb, said the short-term rental giant worked with OpenAI to develop a chatbot for users.

“We were not satisfied with it,” Stephenson said Thursday during the Phocuswright conference in Phoenix. “I think the tools in the interface right now — using chat as a method to plan a trip — we just don’t think it’s actually sufficient, and it didn’t actually meet our design criteria.”

Many other travel companies have released AI chatbots for trip planning and inventory search. Skift has analyzed many of them over the past two years, from both startups and large online travel agencies. None have provided a reliable experience.  

Airbnb is still trying to figure out the future of its search. 

“I don’t think a chatbot is going to be the way it’s going to work … we’re actively working behind the scenes to figure that out,” he said. 

Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, said in August that it will take years to rebuild Airbnb into a fully AI-powered application. 

Gathering Traveler Data for the Future of Airbnb

Airbnb is focused on implementing AI to improve other areas of the platform. 

That includes developing a better algorithm for matching guests with rentals. The app has 8 million properties and 5 million users. A new photo tour feature is meant to display property photos in an order that gives guests the best understanding of its layout.

A major project underway involves gathering user data by asking them to add more details to their profiles. Airbnb is now asking users to answer questions like, “What are you obsessed with?” and “What’s your most useless skill?”

It’s part of an effort to enable more personalized experiences. Personalization is only possible with high levels of quality customer data. Then, the AI can access that data to match travelers with lodging that meets specific needs. 

“The more we understand about you, the better we can match you up with the perfect place, the better experience and stay that you can have,” Stephenson said.

Chesky said during Airbnb’s first-quarter earnings call this year that the user profiles will be an important part of the future of the app, which he expects will include a lot more than just short-term rentals. 

Chesky said in September that he wants to consistently launch new lines of business. The company has already been acceprting new applications from experiences hosts and in May launched a pop culture experiences category called Icons.  

“I think in the future, the profile will be the center of the solar system of Airbnb, and the home will be one of many categories orbiting the profile,” Chesky said in May.