Airbnb CEO: ChatGPT Not Fit for Travel App Integration

Published Date : 22/10/2025 

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky explains why the company hasn't integrated its travel app with OpenAI's ChatGPT, citing readiness concerns. However, the company is enhancing its AI customer service tools. 

Airbnb Inc. Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky has revealed that the company has not integrated its online travel app with OpenAI’s ChatGPT due to the startup’s connective tools not being “quite ready” yet.

Chesky mentioned in an interview that Airbnb will monitor the development of ChatGPT’s app integrations and may consider a partnership in the future, similar to those of its competitors, Booking Holdings Inc. and Expedia Group Inc. “I didn’t think it was quite ready,” he said of ChatGPT’s integration capabilities.

Given that Airbnb is a community with verified members, OpenAI needs to build a platform that is robust enough to allow Airbnb’s app to function within the ChatGPT chatbot in an “almost self-contained” manner, according to Chesky. He is close friends with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and has advised the AI company on its new capability for third-party developers to integrate their apps within the ChatGPT chatbot. OpenAI announced these features earlier this month, but Airbnb was not among the first apps available on the popular chatbot.

An OpenAI spokesperson declined to comment on Chesky’s remarks but referred to the company’s blog post, which described the app integration technology as a developer preview with more features to come soon.

While Airbnb is setting aside a possible integration with ChatGPT, the company has updated its in-app artificial intelligence tools to enable customers to take more actions without needing a live representative. The company’s AI customer service agent, which was rolled out to all US users in English in May, now includes action buttons and links to help users complete tasks like reservation changes or cancellations.

These updates have led to a 15% reduction in users needing a live representative, cutting the average resolution time to six seconds from nearly three hours, according to Airbnb. The company plans to add Spanish and French language support this fall and 56 more languages next year.

The AI customer service agent is built upon 13 different AI models, including those from OpenAI, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and open-source providers. “We’re relying a lot on Alibaba’s Qwen model. It’s very good. It’s also fast and cheap,” Chesky said. “We use OpenAI’s latest models, but we typically don’t use them that much in production because there are faster and cheaper models.”

Airbnb, which has expanded its business beyond accommodations into tours and individual services earlier this year, is also adding new social features to encourage user connections and better travel recommendations within the app. The company has introduced an option for guests to share their Airbnb profile with other travelers after booking an experience. Users who have participated in the same tours can now directly message one another, with privacy safeguards ensuring that conversations can only continue if the recipient accepts a message request.

More social features are planned for next year, and Chesky believes that these features could lead to user-generated content on the app, where people can seek travel inspiration without leaving the Airbnb site. “I think the social features, the community, that’s probably the most differentiated part of Airbnb,” he said. “People are the reason why I think Airbnb is such a sticky service.” 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: Why hasn't Airbnb integrated its app with ChatGPT?

A: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky believes that ChatGPT’s connective tools are not 'quite ready' yet to support a robust integration with Airbnb’s verified community platform.

Q: What improvements has Airbnb made to its AI customer service?

A: Airbnb has updated its AI customer service agent to include action buttons and links, reducing the need for live representatives and cutting average resolution time from nearly three hours to six seconds.

Q: What AI models does Airbnb use for its customer service agent?

A: Airbnb’s AI customer service agent is built upon 13 different AI models, including those from OpenAI, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, and open-source providers.

Q: What new social features is Airbnb adding?

A: Airbnb is adding options for guests to share their profiles with other travelers and message users who have participated in the same tours, with privacy safeguards in place.

Q: What is Airbnb’s long-term vision for social features?

A: Airbnb plans to add more social features next year, potentially leading to user-generated content on the app, where people can seek travel inspiration without leaving the site. 

More Related Topics :