Following Airbnb’s strong second-quarter earnings report, CEO Brian Chesky shared insights into the company’s AI strategy, cautioning investors not to mistake AI chatbots for a full replacement of traditional search engines like Google—at least not yet.

“I don’t think we should think of chatbots as the ‘new Google,’” Chesky said during the Q2 earnings call. He explained that while AI agents show promise, they are not proprietary and can be widely accessed via APIs. “We — Airbnb — can also use the API, and there are other models we can use,” he added.

Chesky noted that the key to leveraging AI lies not just in having access to the best models but in tailoring them to specific applications through custom interfaces. He foresees a future where specialized startups and existing firms alike build on AI to deliver unique solutions.

One area where Airbnb is already seeing results is customer service. The company’s U.S.-based AI agent reduced human support requests by 15%, a notable improvement given the need for precision in handling customer issues. Built using 13 different models and trained on tens of thousands of conversations, the agent will expand into more languages this year and gain personalized features by 2026.

Airbnb also plans to integrate AI into its search experience next year, and may explore partnerships with third-party AI agents in the future. However, users will still need an Airbnb account to book stays, maintaining a layer of exclusivity and brand control.

Despite reporting $3.1 billion in revenue and $1.03 earnings per share — both exceeding analyst expectations — Airbnb shares dipped over projections of slower growth in the coming months. Chesky remains optimistic, viewing AI as a tool for innovation rather than disruption.