Airbnb This week, in its autumn update, the company introduced a new AI search function, which represents an important step for this firm that has always adopted a slow and cautious approach on AI. Co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky previously stated that a pure chatbot-style interface is not suitable for travel discovery. As more AI features are integrated into the Airbnb app, I had discussions with Zoom and Chesky about how the company plans to move forward, where the interface is heading, why consumer-grade AI has not yet been truly successful, and what role voice will play.
Chesky has not changed his opinion about chatbots. He says that chatbots are not suitable for browsing or shopping, as they only provide a limited number of options at a time, and users need to go through multiple rounds of conversation to get results. However, he also believes that the current search function of Airbnb is not the final form: its interface will continue to evolve over time.
"I've long believed that chatbots are not the right interface for e-commerce. What you see today is also not the ultimate form of e-commerce, travel, or shopping. I think that in the future, there will be a type of interface that I wouldn't want to call an 'intermediate state,' but it will be somewhere between chatbots and our first version of the product," he said.
Chesky continued, "Many people wish that certain things could be faster and simpler, like 'book a flight for me without having to look at too much information.' However, on Airbnb, users enjoy browsing products. Travel research shows that the joy people derive from planning and looking forward to a trip is actually greater than the joy of the trip itself. Therefore, you shouldn't take away that inspiration, browsing experience, and that dreamy library-like feeling that users have."
Chesky believes that chatbots have a second issue, which is that they are designed for single users only. He feels that they do not provide a collaborative interface, and this is important for a product that people often use with their families and friends. In the next three to six months, the company plans to explore interfaces that can support "multi-person" AI, meaning that several people, such as a group planning a trip together, can use the same AI simultaneously.
It's not just Airbnb that is rethinking what the AI interface should look like. As AI tools continue to evolve, new types of interfaces are also starting to appear in various applications. Startups like Monogram and the more recent Wabi are experimenting with "generative" interfaces, which are screens that are generated in real-time by AI rather than being pre-designed by designers. Chesky believes that in the future, people will see a mix of deterministic interfaces (pre-designed and predictable) and generative interfaces.
I asked Chesky, how Airbnb is preparing for consumer-grade AI proxies, such as tools like Instinct and Muse that perform tasks on behalf of users. He said that proxies require a robust software infrastructure on the Airbnb side, and the company also hopes to make them more user-friendly. In his view, these tools could become excellent clue generators.
"I'm not necessarily convinced that there will still be a world of applications in the future, but I also don't believe that applications will become a data layer with a universal and simple interface. Because when you open iPhone, there's a reason why the application design of Airbnb is different from that of DoorDash, Shopify, and Amazon. Our interfaces should adapt according to the utility and functionality of the tasks being performed. We want to make applications more proactive and also aim to build more user interface controls," he said.
"If I have an agent, but I also want very good browsing capabilities; if I want to send messages to landlords just like on Airbnb; if I want to make comparisons; if I want to verify identities; if I want to use the map function; if I also want to add other features; if I want to continue staying on the platform, then either the agent needs to hand over the responsibilities, or the agent application needs to be equipped with a more powerful software development toolkit to bring the application to you to some extent."
Chesky believes that there were concerns from the outside world that AI tools would exclude companies like Airbnb from customer relationships, but he stated that chatbots have proven to perform well in generating leads.
This CEO, Airbnb, is also preparing for agent-to-agent interactions through the platform. He explained that there may be some interactions within the platform, as well as interactions with agents of other applications. His view is that applications were not always interoperable in the past, unless companies reached a commercial agreement. On the other hand, agents are like "applications with faces"; when they communicate with each other, all applications can become interoperable.
“I think that the Airbnb application will one day become a proxy. That is to say, there will be a proxy for exploring tabs, a proxy for our customer service, and we are also developing another proxy in another service area. Perhaps in the end, there will be a macro Airbnb proxy. And it will probably achieve interoperability with other proxies through MCP [a standard that allows AI proxies to connect to other software],” said Chesky.
Chesky believes that a bigger problem is the lack of an operating system that is truly designed for AI. Currently, people are building AI applications on iOS, macOS, and Windows, but these are not "AI operating systems." He argues that ideally, AI should be able to run at the kernel level – that is, at the core of the operating system – where all components, such as proxies, can interact with each other. For now, he says, the focus of competition is to become the "quarterback," which is the main AI proxy that users rely on when handling all transactions.
The problem with this approach [of trying to become the main intermediary] is that no one is developing a complete set of software development tools for operating systems. Let me give you an example, he continued, “ChatGPT tried to create its own small app store at the beginning of last year. I told Sam [ Altman ): if you want to create an app store like iPhone, you need a set of software development tools and an operating system like App Store. Otherwise, none of our features would be possible. Of course, that didn’t work out very well,” said Chesky.
“I’ve used Airbnb on Muse and Instinct,” he continued, “and it’s not very user-friendly. I mean, even for hotels, it’s not particularly convenient, and Airbnb is even worse. So I think we haven’t really cracked down on consumer-grade AI yet. To truly break through with consumer-grade AI, we need to solve problems at a more fundamental level. We need to turn proxies into applications; all applications must become proxies; everything must be interoperable; and they must all have a much richer user interface.”
Chesky believes that there are two misconceptions about Silicon Valley: first, that interfaces will disappear and people will only communicate by speaking and typing; second, that software will be entirely composed of generative methods. His view is that designers can create software that is even better than what consumers can come up with on their own.
He also believes that as long as iPhone still holds a dominant position, and Apple and Google control the main platforms, applications are likely to remain the core component.
"To truly make the transition from applications to proxies a reality, it ultimately depends on Apple or Google, or some other company, to build a new platform for us. Otherwise, what we'll end up with is applications that contain proxies, rather than the entire application itself becoming a powerful proxy that can interact with other proxies," he said.
Before ending the interview, I asked Chesky about voice technology. With the emergence of a new wave of note-taking apps such as Wispr Flow, Willow, Superwhisper, as well as the built-in dictation feature in AI, people are speaking to their devices more frequently, and voice is receiving increasing attention. He believes that in the end, people will speak to computers more often than they type. He stated that voice will play a key role in Airbnb's search and customer service functions, and the company plans to launch a voice agent this fall to assist users.
He added that the company has achieved significant benefits from launching features more quickly by using AI. At a personal level, Chesky said that AI has helped him obtain information more quickly, allowing him to attend many fewer meetings.
"I think AI is reducing the number of communication layers. As CEO, one of my tasks is to obtain information. In the past, I would obtain information by holding meetings. Now, I just need to ask my AI, and I no longer need to hold so many meetings," he said.
