GamePlanner.AI is a confidential AI company founded by Siri’s co-founder. Airbnb purchased it in November. Reports state that the deal was worth approximately $200 million to the discreet business. Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky provided a high-level overview of today’s extensive plans for artificial intelligence (AI). He stated that it planned to accelerate at the “application layer” of AI and create one of the “most innovative AI interfaces ever created,” despite the hosting company not disclosing its plans for GamePlanner at the time.
By putting exaggeration aside, Chesky clarified that Airbnb is not considered an AI infrastructure provider. It will not develop its substantial language models but depend on third-party AI technology from companies such as OpenAI, Meta, and Google. Instead, the business thinks it can create a fresh interface to access contemporary AI models. The acquisition of GamePlanner might be beneficial in that regard.
The CEO said that despite the AI model’s extreme capabilities, the interface is not an AI interface. During the company’s fourth-quarter results call, Chesky informed investors that It’s the same interface as the 2000s. It’s a standard, archaic web interface. Therefore, we believe that the models are perhaps underutilized,” he stated. Here’s an additional way to put it. Grab your phone and examine every icon on it. Since the introduction of generative AI, most apps have yet to undergo significant modifications. AI represents the ultimate platform shift.
The development of mobile technology after the internet’s inception helped Airbnb’s operation, but Chesky thinks AI will alter things once more. “There is a change in power as well. There is a change in conduct. Thus, I believe this is a zero-zero game,” he remarked.
According to the executive, Airbnb plans to deploy generative AI to give users a more tailored experience.
“Imagine using an app that makes you feel you know it; it’s like having the best guard ever. Imagine an interface, unlike any other one you’ve seen that is adaptive, dynamic, and changing in real-time. We may then transition from being a single vertical company to a cross-vertical one,” said Chesky.
Of course, it remains to be seen if Airbnb can fulfill these goals. Even though Chesky shows how the AI-powered Airbnb user interface is evolving, modern AI systems are sometimes challenging. They have a nasty habit of returning inaccurate information through what are known as hallucinations. In other words, if the AI bot is confused about an answer, it will just make something up. Airbnb may also be unable to achieve its goals for application layer enhancements if the AI models are accurate.
The CEO said the company will make more announcements on AI later this year, but he would not go into specifics about the products and services it expects to offer at this time.
A few months ago, Airbnb purchased GamePlanner, but beyond its association with artificial intelligence, little was known about the work of the obscure firm. Notably, GamePlanner was co-founded by AI frontiersperson Adam Cheyer, who co-founded Siri (later sold to Apple), and Siamak Hodjat. In a statement made public at the time of the acquisition, Airbnb proposed that by incorporating the GamePlanner team’s tools into the Airbnb platform, the firm could expedite its AI initiatives.
