Airbnb is testing AI-powered search to help users with bookings

The next time you book a rental on Airbnb, you might be getting some help from AI.

Airbnb is currently testing out a new AI-powered search feature. According to the company’s Q4 shareholder letter, Airbnb is currently “integrating AI” into its app. One such integration, AI-powered search, is already in its testing phase and available to a “small percentage” of Airbnb’s users.

Airbnb’s AI-powered search currently lets users use natural language to describe the type of rental and amenities they’re looking for. This means users no longer have to formulate the perfect search query to find exactly what they want; they can simply describe the type of rental they’re looking to book in a conversational manner. Users can also use the AI-powered search to ask questions about specific listings and their locations.

The company says that the AI-powered search feature will eventually “evolve into a more comprehensive and intuitive search experience that extends through the trip.”

During Airbnb’s recent Q4 earnings call, company CEO Brian Chesky described how the property rental company is currently working on an  “AI-native experience” for its users.

Airbnb also shared that its AI-powered customer support assistant, which was released in the U.S. last year, now resolves a third of all customer support requests. The company says it’s prepared to roll out the feature globally to all users later this year.

Investors have been hearing a lot about AI integrations lately from big tech companies, as AI has been frequently mentioned on recent quarterly earnings calls. Music streaming giant Spotify shared during its Q4 call that its developers now have AI handling the majority of the company’s coding work.