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On Sat, 3 May, 12:03 AM UTC
3 Sources
[1]
Airbnb is quietly rolling out an AI customer service bot in the US
Airbnb started rolling out an AI-powered customer service bot in the U.S. last month, CEO Brian Chesky said during the firm's first-quarter conference call on Thursday. Chesky said 50% of Airbnb's U.S. users are already using the AI bot for customer service, adding that the company plans to roll out the feature to all its users in the country this month. "One thing I'll say about AI [is that] it is definitely making the customer experience easier [...] It has already led to a 15% reduction in people needing to contact live human agents," he noted during the analyst call. Last year, the company told TechCrunch that it was testing the technology, but in a limited manner and only for certain queries. "I think there is a lot of potential for applying AI to the business. We think a lot about how AI is going to change the experience at the consumer layer over time," Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk told TechCrunch at that time. Unlike companies like OpenAI, Google, Perplexity and the slew of startups building AI agents (AI tools that can perform tasks on a user's behalf), Airbnb seems to be taking a more measured approach with AI. Chesky said in February that the company would use AI for customer service before it started implementing it for other uses like travel planning or booking tickets, as he believes the technology is still in its early days. Meanwhile, its competitors Expedia and Booking.com are investing heavily on the technology, launching AI features like building itineraries, trip planning, and real-time updates for travel. Airbnb's reported a total revenue of $2.27 billion for the first quarter, up 6% from a year earlier. The company, however, forecast current-quarter revenue slightly below analysts' expectations, and indicated that it was expecting travel demand to slow down as the global tariff war hurts sentiment and discourages discretionary spending.
[2]
Half of Airbnb users in the U.S. are now interacting with its AI customer service agent
Chesky said the AI assistant has already led to a 15% drop in users needing to contact live support agents. While the technology is still in its early stages, he expects it to steadily improve. "It's going to get significantly more personalized and agentic over the years to come," he said following the release of Airbnb's first-quarter earnings. Compared to other travel platforms racing to apply AI for trip planning and other complex tasks, Airbnb's approach remains cautious. Expedia, for example, began promoting its ChatGPT-powered trip planning feature in 2023.
[3]
Airbnb: 50% of Users Turn to AI Bot for Customer Service | PYMNTS.com
Airbnb has rolled out an artificial intelligence (AI) bot for customer service in the U.S. CEO Brian Chesky addressed the use of this tool during the company's recent first-quarter earnings call, TechCrunch reported Friday (May 2), saying that 50% of customers were already turning to the bot for customer service. "One thing I'll say about AI ... it is definitely making the customer experience easier. ... It has already led to a 15% reduction in people needing to contact live human agents," he said, adding that the company plans to offer the feature to all U.S. users this month. Speaking at the Human[x] conference in Las Vegas in March, Airbnb chief business officer Dave Stephenson said the company plans to embed AI throughout its operations to transform guest and homeowner experiences, offering a "concierge in your pocket." AI is an "incredibly high priority," Stephenson said, adding that top management recently met to discuss the "critical importance of AI" and its role in the lodging giant's long-term vision. "It pervades everything we do." Airbnb is working on sophisticated AI capabilities to personalize recommendations based on customer preferences and behaviors. The company amasses data through what it calls "passports," or user profiles, to help it grasp travel context and preferences. "The more [guests] interact with us, the better we can actually do predicting and matching," Stephenson said. "The happier they're going to be, the more likely they are to come back, and the happier the host is going to be, because we end up having the perfect guest for that host. It's a nice virtuous cycle." Research by PYMNTS Intelligence shows more consumers expect generative AI to assist with their travel planning and experiences. To that end, Airbnb competitors such as Expedia and Booking.com are investing heavily in AI, deploying AI features such as building itineraries, trip planning, and real-time updates for travel. Meanwhile, Kayak CEO Steve Hafner told PYMNTS in February that the company plans to introduce AI agents this year to help customers with everything from searching for their next trip to checkout. "One thing Kayak hasn't done as well as search is booking," Hafner said. "We've had to hand people off to airline or hotel websites or online travel agencies to complete the booking. "With agentic AI, we can actually facilitate that without the consumer ever having to leave the Kayak experience," he added.
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Airbnb introduces an AI-powered customer service bot in the US, with 50% of users already engaging with it. The company reports a 15% reduction in live agent interactions and plans for full US rollout this month.
Airbnb, the popular vacation rental platform, has quietly rolled out an artificial intelligence (AI) powered customer service bot in the United States. CEO Brian Chesky announced during the company's first-quarter conference call that 50% of Airbnb's U.S. users are already utilizing the AI bot for customer service inquiries 1.
The implementation of the AI bot has already shown promising results. Chesky reported a 15% reduction in the number of users needing to contact live human agents for support 2. This decrease in live agent interactions demonstrates the effectiveness of the AI-powered solution in handling customer queries and improving overall service efficiency.
Unlike some of its competitors, Airbnb is taking a measured approach to AI integration. Chesky stated in February that the company would prioritize using AI for customer service before implementing it for other functions such as travel planning or booking tickets 1. This cautious strategy reflects the company's belief that AI technology is still in its early stages and requires careful implementation.
Airbnb plans to extend the AI bot feature to all its users in the United States this month 3. The company's chief business officer, Dave Stephenson, revealed at the Human[x] conference in Las Vegas that Airbnb intends to embed AI throughout its operations to transform guest and homeowner experiences, offering a "concierge in your pocket" 3.
Airbnb is working on sophisticated AI capabilities to personalize recommendations based on customer preferences and behaviors. The company collects data through what it calls "passports," or user profiles, to better understand travel context and preferences 3. This data-driven approach aims to create a "virtuous cycle" of improved customer satisfaction and host experiences.
While Airbnb takes a cautious approach, its competitors are investing heavily in AI technology. Expedia and Booking.com have already launched AI features for building itineraries, trip planning, and providing real-time travel updates 1. Kayak, another player in the travel industry, plans to introduce AI agents this year to assist customers with everything from trip searching to checkout 3.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky outlines the company's pragmatic AI strategy, focusing on customer service improvements while holding off on AI-powered trip planning due to the technology's current limitations.
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Restaurants are increasingly adopting AI-powered phone systems to handle reservations and customer inquiries. This technology is transforming the dining industry, offering efficiency and consistency in customer interactions.
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Yelp introduces AI-powered voice agents for call handling and new features to improve user experience for both service providers and diners, leveraging artificial intelligence to streamline operations and enhance communication.
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Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled significant AI-powered upgrades to its Amazon Connect platform, aiming to transform customer service interactions and streamline contact center operations.
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Meta is expanding its AI offerings to businesses, aiming to provide AI-powered customer service and engagement tools to millions of companies, from small businesses to large corporations.
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