Airbnb is leveraging a custom-built AI agent to handle approximately one-third of customer support issues in North America, with plans for a global rollout. CEO Brian Chesky believes this AI will not only reduce operational costs but also enhance service quality, potentially managing over 30% of support tickets across various languages within a year. The company recently appointed Ahmad Al-Dahle, a former Meta CTO, to spearhead AI innovations, aiming to create an app that personalizes user experiences for both guests and hosts. Chesky emphasized Airbnb’s unique data assets, such as 200 million verified identities and 500 million proprietary reviews, which differentiate it from standard chatbots.
The company forecasts revenue growth in low double digits for the year, after exceeding fourth-quarter estimates with $2.78 billion. Airbnb is also integrating AI into its search functions, currently in trial phases, and reports that 80% of its engineers are using AI tools, aiming for full adoption soon.
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