Airbnb has announced that its internally developed AI agent is currently resolving approximately one-third of customer support inquiries in North America. The company is gearing up to expand this capability worldwide.
During the recent fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call, CEO Brian Chesky highlighted the potential scale of this initiative. He anticipates that, within the next year, AI-driven voice and chat support could manage over 30% of all customer tickets globally, in every language where human agents are also available.
Chesky emphasized the dual advantages: significant cost savings in customer service operations combined with a substantial improvement in response quality and speed. He suggested that the AI system outperforms traditional human handling for many routine matters.
The company also spotlighted its strategic hiring of Ahmad Al-Dahle as Chief Technology Officer. Recruited from Meta; where he led the generative AI efforts behind the Llama models. Al-Dahle brings extensive experience from 16 years at Apple and expertise in merging large-scale engineering with exceptional user design. Chesky explained that Al-Dahle’s leadership positions Airbnb to deliver a truly AI-integrated platform that understands individual users deeply, assisting guests with full trip planning, empowering hosts to manage their listings more effectively, and enabling the company to scale operations smoothly.
Airbnb differentiates itself from generic AI chatbots by leveraging its proprietary assets, including 200 million verified user identities, 500 million unique reviews, direct host messaging (used by 90% of guests), global payment processing, insurance protections, and robust verification systems. Chesky argued that layering AI across this established ecosystem creates an experience that’s difficult for external players to duplicate, ultimately supporting faster business growth.
Financially, the company posted strong Q4 results: revenue reached $2.78 billion (up 12% year-over-year), surpassing analyst expectations of around $2.72 billion. Guidance for the current quarter points to $2.59–$2.63 billion, also above Wall Street projections.
Addressing investor concerns about potential long-term threats from broader AI platforms entering short-term rentals, Chesky countered that Airbnb’s value extends far beyond a simple booking interface. The platform encompasses host tools, comprehensive protections, and over $100 billion in annual payments processed—elements built over nearly two decades that generic AI tools cannot easily replicate.
He noted that AI-driven search and discovery already convert traffic at higher rates than traditional Google referrals, positioning Airbnb to benefit from the ongoing shift toward AI interfaces. The company is testing conversational AI search on a limited portion of traffic and plans to incorporate sponsored listings in the future.
Internally, Airbnb reports strong AI adoption among its workforce: 80% of engineers now incorporate AI tools into their daily work, with efforts underway to reach full participation soon.
