Airbnb prepares for AI agents as Chesky questions chatbot-led travel

Airbnb is adapting its app for use with AI agents and exploring interfaces that let several people plan a trip together. Chief executive Brian Chesky outlined the work in an interview with TechCrunch, alongside a broader argument that consumer AI needs more capable interfaces and software designed to connect agents.

Over the next three to six months, Airbnb plans to explore what Chesky called “multiplayer” AI for group trip planning. The company also plans to introduce voice agents for search and customer service this fall. The interview describes these as plans; it does not confirm that the features have launched.

Chesky said chatbots are poorly suited to browsing and shopping because they present only a few options at a time and require repeated exchanges. For travel, he said, browsing and anticipating a trip can be part of the experience. He also said Airbnb’s current search interface is not its final design.

Airbnb wants to make its app more compatible with agents and is considering interactions between its own agents and those from other services. Chesky said agents may generate leads for the platform, but argued they need robust software infrastructure and richer controls to support tasks such as comparing stays, messaging hosts and verifying identity.

He also questioned whether consumer AI has matured enough for travel. Chesky said Airbnb works poorly on some AI tools he has tried, and argued that agents and apps need to be interoperable, with interfaces that offer more than chat. In his view, apps are likely to remain important while Apple and Google control major mobile platforms, with agents incorporated into them.