Why Airbnb Says ChatGPT Is Not Ready For Travel

ChatGPT Integration on Hold for Now

Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb, has revealed that while the company is eager to incorporate ChatGPT's artificial intelligence into its platform, the technology is not yet prepared for what they have in mind. In a recent interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box", Chesky stated that the integration is something the company would "probably" want to do eventually.

The primary reason for the delay is technical. "The [software development kit] wasn't quite robust enough for the things we want to do," Chesky explained, indicating that the current tools provided by OpenAI don't meet Airbnb's specific, complex needs for its travel application.

Airbnb's Current AI and Social Features

This news comes as Airbnb is actively enhancing its platform with new capabilities. The company recently launched a series of social features, including direct messaging, to foster a greater sense of community among users.

In addition to social updates, Airbnb has also upgraded its own chatbot. A personalized version of the bot was launched earlier this year, which can now handle reservation changes and cancellations for users located in North America, showcasing the company's ongoing investment in AI-driven customer service.

Technical Hurdles and Alternative Models

In a separate interview with Bloomberg, Chesky elaborated that OpenAI's popular chatbot isn't "quite ready" for a deep integration with the Airbnb app. He revealed that the company's current AI model was built using 13 different chatbots and that Airbnb is notably relying on the Qwen model from Alibaba.

The Future of AI in Consumer Apps

Despite the current limitations, Chesky, who is a close friend of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is optimistic about the future. He believes we are only at the beginning of an AI revolution that will spark a new craze in consumer applications over the next few years.

He emphasized the need for collaboration within the tech industry to realize AI's full potential. "We're all going to have to work together," Chesky said. "AI is going to lift up a lot of companies. If they want to vertically integrate every single thing, that's going to be very, very difficult." OpenAI has not yet commented on the matter.