Brian Chesky on AI strategy
From Airbnb Inc ($ABNB) Q1 2026 Earnings Call · · Castify Earnings Call
“I think it's really really early and I think we're at the very very beginning of how AI is going to change how we all do our jobs. I will say though that one of my principles is that Airbnb has to move at the speed of AI. AI I think we should think of as an accelerant to everything and we can think of it as a disruptive technology. I actually think of it more as an accelerating technology. I think the number one characteristic AI is speed. It just speeds every single thing up.”
On , Brian Chesky, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Head of Community & Chairman of the Board at Airbnb Inc, spoke about AI strategy during Airbnb Inc ($ABNB) Q1 2026 Earnings Call on Castify Earnings Call.
About Brian Chesky
Brian Chesky said during Airbnb’s Q1 2026 earnings call that revenue grew 18% year-over-year, which he described as a significant acceleration from the prior year’s 10% growth. He attributed the acceleration to a renewed focus on “startup intensity” and a small-team approach. Chesky also stated that AI now writes about 60% of Airbnb’s new code and that over 40% of customer issues are resolved without a human agent, which he called the best AI self-solve in travel. He said he does not believe AI will eliminate jobs but will change the nature of tasks, and he argued that “pure people managers” who are not steeped in the work will become less valuable. At the company’s 2026 Summer Release event on May 20, Chesky announced a suite of new services including grocery delivery, airport pickup, luggage storage, and car rentals, describing Airbnb’s expansion as moving from home-sharing to “the business of the trip.” He said the 2026 FIFA World Cup across three countries is expected to be the largest event in Airbnb’s history, with more than 700,000 guests already booked. Chesky also said Airbnb is “playing the long game” in India, which he called one of the company’s fastest-growing markets, and that the company is adding boutique hotels to its platform as an alternative channel for independent properties. Regarding the use of Chinese AI models, Chesky said Airbnb has used open-source Chinese models in the past but that all data is vaulted and secure, and he stated he is in direct contact with a congressional committee to answer their questions.