Airbnb CEO Warns Against Overestimating AI Agents as New Google

San Francisco, California – Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky cautioned investors against the prevailing belief that AI agents will soon replace Google as the primary internet search tool. During the company’s second-quarter earnings call on August 9, 2025, Chesky emphasized the need for caution regarding the capabilities of AI chatbots.

“I don’t think we should think of them as the ‘new Google’ yet,” Chesky stated, pointing out that search engines remain crucial for referral traffic and that many AI models are not proprietary, making them less of a competitive threat to Google at this point.

Chesky argued that success in the AI space hinges on more than just having advanced models. He claimed that the real advantage would come from refined interfaces and tuning models for specific applications. “You have to be able to tune the model and build a custom interface for the right application,” he explained.

Airbnb’s in-house AI customer service tool is an example of this approach. Deployed in the U.S., it has reduced the need for human customer support interactions by 15% by leveraging 13 different AI models, trained on tens of thousands of conversations.

“AI agents can’t hallucinate,” Chesky noted, stressing the importance of accuracy in customer service applications. The company plans to introduce the AI service agent in other languages by the end of the year, and hopes to enhance its capabilities to handle entire booking processes, including cancellations and trip planning, by 2026.

Furthermore, Chesky confirmed that Airbnb will integrate AI into its search functions next year to improve user experience when finding accommodations and experiences.

While open to collaboration with third-party AI agents, he emphasized that bookings would remain tied to user accounts, avoiding potential commoditization. For now, Chesky views AI in the travel sector more as a lead generation tool rather than a threat to Airbnb’s brand.

Airbnb reported a revenue of $3.1 billion for Q2 and earnings per share of $1.03, surpassing analyst expectations. However, a cautious growth forecast for the upcoming quarter caused stock prices to dip.