Airbnb says AI is helping it ship features faster as it tests a new search function
Airbnb is rapidly adopting AI for product development, with AI now writing 60% of its code. The company has reduced time from concept to launch by up to 60% and increased shipped features by nearly 80%. It is also testing an AI search function with a toggle for users, and has expanded its customer support bot to over 50 languages.
During Airbnb's second-quarter earnings call, CEO Brian Chesky said that AI is helping the company build and ship features faster. Because of AI, Airbnb has reduced the time from concept to launch by as much as 60% for some key initiatives, and the number of features and improvements shipped this year has increased by nearly 80% compared to the same six-month period last year. AI has assisted in areas like search, sign-up, checkout, and payments, and the company has released features for hosts such as a quicker onboarding flow. Consumer-facing AI features have been limited so far, but Chesky announced that Airbnb will start testing AI search. The company plans to add a toggle so users can switch between the current search and filter interface and an AI search where they can type natural language queries to get visual, conversational results. On the back end, Airbnb has deployed AI in customer support, with an AI-powered bot launched in North America in 2025 and expanded to over 50 languages this year, with voice calls planned later this year. Nearly 45% of customer issues starting with the AI agent are resolved without human intervention, and support cost per booking is down 16% year-over-year. Airbnb reported revenue of $3.6 billion for the quarter ended in June, up 17% year-over-year, and adjusted EBITDA of $1.3 billion, up 21%.
- Abbreviations
- EBITDA = Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization — Прибыль до вычета процентов, налогов, износа и амортизации
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