- Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said ChatGPT is not yet prepared for integration into the Airbnb platform.
- Chesky stated the company may add ChatGPT in the future, but technical limitations currently remain.
- He described Artificial Intelligence as being at the start of a major transformation for consumer apps.
- Airbnb currently relies heavily on Alibaba’s Qwen model for AI features due to its speed and cost benefits.
- Recent Airbnb app updates include direct messaging, new social features, and an improved AI chatbot.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said on Wednesday that OpenAI‘s ChatGPT is not ready to be implemented in the company’s travel app at this time. Chesky made these remarks during an interview with CNBC, noting that while the company hopes to include ChatGPT eventually, there are still limitations with the current software.
Chesky explained that the software development tools available for ChatGPT at present do not meet Airbnb’s requirements. He said, “The [software development kit] wasn’t quite robust enough for the things we want to do.” Following these comments, Airbnb shares declined 0.1% during Wednesday morning trading.
In further remarks, Chesky stated that artificial intelligence technology is in its early stages and predicted it will inspire significant advances in consumer-focused applications. He said, “AI is going to lift up a lot of companies.” However, Chesky suggested that full vertical integration by AI firms, such as building complete solutions without outside partnerships, may prove difficult. “If they want to vertically integrate every single thing, that’s going to be very, very difficult,” he said.
In a separate interview with Bloomberg, Chesky said Airbnb is actively using Alibaba Group Holding’s Qwen model because it is fast and cost-effective compared to other options such as OpenAI’s latest models. He specified that while the company tests OpenAI’s products, they are not used extensively in Airbnb’s live systems.
Airbnb recently announced new app features, including upgraded direct messaging, social tools, and an AI chatbot capable of handling reservation changes. The company’s stock is down 2% for the year and has declined 5% over the last twelve months.
