During Airbnb’s Q4 2025 earnings call, CEO Brian Chesky shared an intriguing insight that has captured my attention: bookings from AI chatbots surpass those driven by Google in terms of conversion rates.
Chesky revealed, “And what we see is that traffic that comes from chatbots convert at a higher rate than traffic that comes from Google.” However, he was less forthcoming about the exact conversion rates or the volume of traffic these AI chatbots generate for Airbnb.
I find it fascinating that despite lacking specific conversion data, it seems clear that guests reaching Airbnb via AI chatbots are further along in the booking journey compared to those originating from Google searches.
The chatbots contributing to this traffic boom weren’t explicitly identified, but Chesky did mention well-known models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, among others.
This evolution is significant because AI assistants are starting to prove themselves as powerful tools in the early stages of customer engagement, potentially surpassing traditional search methods in terms of quality lead generation.
Chesky portrays these chatbots as not only similar to traditional search platforms but as vital components in the journey of customer acquisition.
He believes that, “These chatbot platforms are gonna be very similar to search. Gonna be really good top-of-funnel discoveries,” highlighting their potential in broadening Airbnb’s reach.
Airbnb is excited about what lies ahead as they envision an AI-native experience where their app evolves from merely assisting in searches to genuinely understanding user preferences.
“So AI search is live to a very small percent of traffic right now,” Chesky mentioned, emphasizing that Airbnb’s strategy involves a lot of quick iterations and experimentation rather than launching big, bold changes.
Currently, within Airbnb, AI tools are not only external but also internal assets. Their AI-powered customer service agent significantly reduces the workload by resolving nearly one-third of North American support tickets.
The company aims to expand this AI tool globally with multilingual capabilities, including voice support, with hopes of handling more than 30% of tickets within the year.
An AI-powered conversational search feature is live for a limited user base, showcasing Airbnb’s commitment to embracing AI as part of their development cycle rather than waiting for a massive roll-out.
While the idea of sponsored listings remains in the background, Chesky notes that traditional ad formats might require tweaking to align with the conversational nature of AI environments.
Previously, before generative AI and AI-powered searches became trends, Airbnb shifted its budget focus to brand marketing, reducing expenditures on search marketing, a move that now aligns with their evolving AI approach.
Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
