Airbnb has introduced its new AI-powered search this week as part of its fall update. Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky stated that while a chatbot-only interface is not suitable for travel discovery, the current search interface is not its final form and will evolve.
Chesky noted that chatbots are not effective for browsing or shopping due to limited options and multiple turns required to reach a result. He also highlighted that chatbots are typically built for single users, which is a drawback for a product often used collaboratively.
Over the next three to six months, Airbnb intends to explore interfaces that support "multiplayer" AI, allowing groups of people to plan trips together. Chesky also believes that the industry needs an operating system built specifically for AI, suggesting that current AI tools do not work well on existing operating systems.