Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky makes it clear, says: We don't use OpenAI's latest models in production because …

stated that the company typically does not use OpenAI's latest models extensively in production for its . He noted that there are often faster, cheaper alternatives available. Recently, the travel app maker announced that it has updated its in-app artificial intelligence customer service agent, which was rolled out to all US users in English in May. The update allows customers to take more actions without needing a live representative. In an interview, Chesky revealed that the agent is built on 13 different AI models, sourced from providers including OpenAI, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Qwen model, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and other open-source providers.

Chesky said to Bloomberg: “We use OpenAI’s latest models, but we typically don’t use them that much in production because there are faster and cheaper models."

He specifically praised the Alibaba model, saying, “We're relying a lot on Alibaba's Qwen model. It’s very good. It’s also fast and cheap.”

What Airbnb’s new AI customer service agent can do

Airbnb's new AI-powered customer service agent now includes action buttons and links that allow users to handle tasks such as changing or cancelling reservations on their own. This update has resulted in a 15% decrease in users requiring help from a live representative and reduced the average resolution time from nearly three hours to six seconds. The company also plans to introduce Spanish and French language support later this year, followed by 56 additional languages next year.

Apart from the AI agent, Airbnb has also introduced new social features aimed at helping users connect and enhancing travel recommendations within the app. Guests can now share their Airbnb profiles with others after booking an experience, and travellers who joined the same tour can message each other. However, conversations continue only if the recipient accepts the message request.

More features are planned for next year, and Chesky said these could eventually support user-generated content on the platform. “I think the social features, the community, that’s probably the most differentiated part of Airbnb. People are the reason why I think Airbnb is such a sticky service.”

Why Airbnb is not being integrated into ChatGPT

Chesky also noted that he has decided not to integrate the company’s app with OpenAI’s ChatGPT because the platform’s tools aren’t “quite ready” yet. He added that Airbnb will continue to monitor the development of ChatGPT’s app integrations and could consider collaborating in the future, similar to other travel platforms such as Booking Holdings and Expedia Group.

“I didn’t think it was quite ready,” Chesky said, explaining that because Airbnb is a community of verified users, OpenAI would need to build a platform strong enough for Airbnb’s app to function in an “almost self-contained” way within ChatGPT, the report noted.

Chesky, who is friends with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, said he has even advised the company on its new third-party developer features. Meanwhile, OpenAI has declined to comment but pointed to a recent blog post describing the app integration system as a developer preview with more updates expected, the report added.