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Airbnb says AI writing 60% of its code
09 May 2026

Airbnb has revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) is now responsible for writing a whopping 60% of its new code.

The revelation was made during the company's Q1 2026 earnings call, where CEO Brian Chesky talked about how they are using AI tools for coding, customer support, and search functions.

Other tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Spotify have also noted similar trends in their programming processes due to the adoption of AI technology.

API partners now have better tools to manage properties
Tool development

Chesky emphasized the importance of AI in developing tools for their API partners, who use different software to manage their properties.

He said, "API partners say they want to be better hosts and need better tools. AI gives huge leverage, where you might have needed a team of 20 engineers before, an engineer can now spin up agents to do a lot of work under supervision."

AI now resolves 40% of customer issues
Support enhancement

Airbnb has been gradually integrating AI into its customer support system over the past year.

Chesky said that their customer support AI bot now resolves 40% of issues without needing human intervention, an increase from about 33% earlier this year.

The company is also testing the use of AI technology to enhance its search function for users.

Travel and e-commerce sectors yet to fully embrace AI
Implementation hurdles

Despite the progress, Chesky admitted that leveraging AI tools in the travel or e-commerce sectors is still a challenge.

He pointed out limitations with the current chatbot user interface, saying "I do not think anyone has figured out AI for travel or e-commerce yet [...] The design of a chatbot, as currently constructed, does not work for travel or e-commerce."

Airbnb's Q1 earnings report
Financial growth

In the first quarter of 2026, Airbnb reported a 3.9% increase in net income to $160 million and an 18% rise in revenue to $2.7 billion compared to the same period last year.

The number of nights booked also increased by 9%, totaling 156.2 million during this time.

The company also revealed that its new "Reserve now, pay later" feature accounted for nearly 20% of its gross booking value during the quarter.