Airbnb adopts AI to launch new features faster and reshape search
Airbnb is stepping up its use of artificial intelligence in its internal operations to speed the development of new products. The company, while gradually adopting AI in consumer-facing interfaces, has been using the technology robustly behind the scenes. Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky stated that AI is already responsible for writing 60% of the platform’s code, resulting in a faster pace of feature creation.
Chesky explained that artificial intelligence allowed Airbnb to reduce the time between the conception of an idea and the actual launch of a feature by 60%.
During the company’s second-quarter earnings call, the CEO stated, “We’re building, testing, and iterating faster than we did a year ago. On some of our key initiatives, we’ve reduced the time from concept to launch by up to 60%. And compared to the same six months last year, we’ve increased the number of features and improvements we’ve released this year by nearly 80%.”
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AI technology has been fundamental in improving several internal areas, such as search, user registration, checkout process and payments. In addition, Airbnb launched AI resources to help hosts, for example, simplifying the integration flow on the platform.
Despite the internal acceleration, the implementation of AI functionalities directly visible to customers has been more cautious. Currently, consumer-facing AI capabilities are mostly limited to review summaries and ad highlights.
Brian Chesky had previously emphasized that a generic chatbot interface would not be effective for use cases in the travel industry. Therefore, the company has directed its efforts to develop AI focused on research, discovery and support.
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During the recent earnings call, Chesky announced that Airbnb will begin testing a new search function based on artificial intelligence. To ensure a smooth transition, the company plans to offer a button that will allow users to switch between traditional search and the new AI search. The latter will allow users to type in natural language to obtain results, which will be presented in a more visual format.
The executive added: “Titles [in responses] can be AI-generated and have conversational language, as if you were interacting with a chatbot, but in a more visual way. When you get to the product description page, highlights are AI-generated in real time and personalized for you.”
In customer support, artificial intelligence is already widely used. Airbnb launched its AI bot in North America in 2025 and this year expanded the service to more than 50 languages, with plans to make AI voice calling available in 2026.
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The company reported that around 45% of customer issues initiated with the AI agent are resolved without the need for human intervention. This advancement resulted in a 16% reduction in the support cost per reservation, year-over-year.
Airbnb reported positive results for the quarter ending in June, recording a 17% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year.
