In the fast-paced world of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how we live, work, and interact with the digital world. From ChatGPT to Claude to Perplexity, powerful AI chatbots have gained enormous popularity in recent years. They are being hailed by some as revolutionary tools that could potentially disrupt or even replace search engines like Google. However, according to Airbnb’s CEO, Brian Chesky, such claims are premature.
During a recent discussion with investors, Chesky addressed the growing buzz around AI-powered chatbots and their supposed ability to become the “new Google.” While he acknowledged the immense potential of AI technology, he stressed that it is still in its early stages of development. It will likely take significant time before AI chatbots can reach the maturity and scale of established search engines.
When asked about whether AI tools could realistically dethrone Google as the primary source of information and traffic on the internet, Chesky was clear: “I don’t think we should be calling them the ‘new Google’ just yet.”
According to him, while AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude can be incredibly useful in certain areas—such as customer service and personalized recommendations—they still cannot replicate the breadth, depth, and reliability of Google’s search capabilities. Google’s search engine doesn’t just provide answers—it also directs billions of users to websites through its referral and traffic ecosystem, something AI chatbots are far from achieving.
Moreover, Chesky pointed out a critical detail often overlooked in the hype: the AI models powering these chatbots are not proprietary to any single company. For example, the large language model behind ChatGPT can be accessed through APIs that any business, including Airbnb, could integrate into its own systems. This means that AI’s competitive advantage will not necessarily come from owning the “best” model, but rather from applying it in the right way.
In Chesky’s view, true success with AI will depend on building customized interfaces and fine-tuning models for specific applications. A generic chatbot will not be enough to dominate an industry—companies will need to adapt AI for specialized, high-value purposes.
Airbnb itself has been steadily integrating AI into its operations, particularly in the field of customer support. Chesky revealed that in the United States, the company’s AI-powered customer service agent has already delivered measurable results. Since its implementation, cases requiring a handover to a human agent have dropped by about 15%.
This AI system is not just one model—it’s built using 13 different AI models working together, trained on millions of past customer interactions. Currently, the AI assistant operates exclusively in English, but Airbnb plans to roll it out in more languages within this year.
Looking ahead, Chesky believes the AI assistant will become more personalized and autonomous. For example, in the near future, if a guest wishes to cancel a reservation, the AI won’t simply explain the cancellation process—it will be able to complete the process automatically on the user’s behalf. This level of automation will make customer interactions faster and more seamless.
One of the most interesting points Chesky made was his belief that AI is currently an enhancer rather than a replacement for human work or existing platforms like Google. In his words, AI chatbots can dramatically improve customer interactions, travel planning, and booking experiences—but they are not yet ready to fully replace the systems that have been in place for decades.
In fact, Airbnb envisions a future where AI doesn’t just respond to queries—it anticipates customer needs. Imagine an AI that, based on your previous bookings and preferences, suggests your next vacation destination, finds the perfect property, checks availability, and completes your booking—all without you having to type a single query. That’s the kind of seamless experience Chesky is aiming for, but even that vision is still a work in progress.
While AI chatbots are impressive, Google’s dominance comes from decades of data indexing, robust algorithms, and its unmatched ability to direct massive amounts of web traffic. AI chatbots, on the other hand, are currently limited by the scope of their training data, the reliability of their responses, and their inability to generate referral traffic in the same way Google does.
Another major difference is trust and verification. Google has spent years building a system that ranks sources, cross-verifies information, and displays multiple perspectives on a query. AI chatbots, while fast and conversational, sometimes produce “hallucinations”—plausible but incorrect answers. This makes them less reliable for fact-heavy queries without human oversight.
Brian Chesky’s message is clear: AI is powerful, transformative, and full of potential, but it is not ready to take over Google’s role in the digital ecosystem—at least not yet. The technology is in its infancy, and its true competitive edge will come from how companies choose to apply it rather than simply from the raw capability of the AI models themselves.
For Airbnb, AI represents a tool for improving efficiency, personalization, and customer satisfaction. It is already proving its value in customer service and will soon take on more advanced roles, such as handling bookings and cancellations independently.
However, replacing Google? That’s a much bigger leap—one that may take years, if it ever happens at all. Until then, AI will likely remain a complementary technology, enhancing existing systems rather than replacing them outright.
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Chesky said it’s too early to call AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity the “new Google.” While AI has great potential, it is still in its early stages and cannot yet match Google’s scale, traffic generation, or reliability.
According to Chesky, AI chatbots are useful for customer service and personalization but cannot fully replicate Google’s search capabilities or its ability to direct massive web traffic and referrals.
Airbnb has developed an AI customer service agent built with 13 different AI models. It has reduced the need for human agent intervention by about 15% in the U.S. The AI is currently available in English, with more languages planned this year.
The AI can handle routine queries, guide users through processes like booking or cancellation, and is expected to soon complete such actions autonomously, making service faster and more personalized.
Chesky believes AI could evolve significantly and handle more complex tasks, but replacing Google will take time. AI will likely remain an enhancer to existing platforms rather than a complete replacement for years to come.
