Airbnb CEO Freezes ChatGPT Deal--Then Unveils AI That Solves Customer Issues in 6 Seconds

Airbnb ABNB may be holding off on OpenAI's ChatGPT integration, but CEO Brian Chesky isn't exactly sitting still. In an interview, Chesky said the company chose not to embed its travel platform into ChatGPT because the app ecosystem isn't quite ready yet. Unlike peers such as Booking Holdings and Expedia, Airbnb's model revolves around a trusted community of verified membersa setup that would require a far more secure, self-contained experience before allowing direct integration. Chesky, who maintains a close friendship with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, hinted that a partnership could still happen later once the platform's connective architecture matures.

In the meantime, Airbnb is doubling down on its own artificial intelligence backbone. The company has expanded its in-app AI tools to handle more user requests automatically, slashing the average customer resolution time from nearly three hours to just six seconds. The systempowered by 13 different AI models from OpenAI, Alibaba, Google, and several open-source providershas already reduced the need for human support by 15%. Chesky said Alibaba's Qwen model currently does much of the heavy lifting due to its speed and lower cost, while OpenAI's models are used more sparingly in live production to balance performance and efficiency.

That shift in focus is part of a broader strategy to make Airbnb more than just a booking app. The company recently introduced new social tools that let users connect after booking shared experiences, message fellow travelers, and gradually build a more interactive community around trips. Chesky believes this social layer could evolve into something much biggerpossibly a place where travelers find inspiration, share stories, and plan trips entirely within Airbnb's own ecosystem. In his view, peoplenot just listingsare what make Airbnb's platform sticky, and AI could be the key to scaling that human connection globally.