Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is starting a new AI lab to build AI models, likely focused on user interaction and design, according to people familiar with the matter.

Chesky is in the early stages of funding the lab, and the plans could still change, the people said. He will remain Airbnb’s CEO and will not serve as chief executive of the new lab, they added.

The move comes as Airbnb has started rolling out an AI-powered customer service bot in the US.

Chesky said in May that 50% of Airbnb’s US users were already using the bot for customer service and that it had reduced the need for live customer service agents by 15%.

Chesky has said AI products for travel and ecommerce need interfaces richer than text-based chatbots.

Unlike online travel companies Expedia Group and Booking Holdings, Airbnb has not partnered with OpenAI on a ChatGPT integration.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

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