Airbnb is planning to launch an AI travel agent next year. The company shared details of the project during its Q3 2026 earnings call on Thursday, reiterating its intention to “build an AI-native Airbnb.”
“AI is the best thing to ever happen to Airbnb. It’s changing both how we develop products and how we operate,” Airbnb said in a letter to shareholders. “AI is helping our teams move faster, and in Q3 alone, we shipped more than 50 products and features — nearly 70 percent more than a year ago.”
Now Airbnb intends to add an AI travel agent to that collection. While still under development, the company says its new AI agent is being designed to help users research, plan, and book trips on its platform.
“We’re developing a custom-designed, AI-native experience that builds the interface around your question,” said Airbnb. “Rather than a chat window, our agent draws on a library of hundreds of travel-specific interface elements — maps, photos, comparisons, calendars, itineraries — and composes them in real time to match what you’re looking for.”
CEO Brian Chesky elaborated during Airbnb’s earnings call, stating that the AI agent will “feel a little bit like generative AI” due to its ability to respond to users’ requests with relevant custom interfaces for specific travel needs. Chesky further stated that the agent will have a “post-chat-based interface,” being less text-focused, though it will still retain a “chat element.”
“If you want a car rental, the agent generates this little UI of a car, and it’s [presented] beautifully in a custom-generated interface,” said Chesky. “If you want to invite co-travellers, the agent helps you.”
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Airbnb’s AI agent will also help resolve issues once a booking has already been made, including changing reservations or assisting with refunds and rebookings. Interestingly, Airbnb states that the AI will provide 24-hour safety support as well, though did not elaborate on exactly what type of assistance it will offer.
“Our agent will help guests explore options, make decisions with the people they’re travelling with, and take action directly in Airbnb,” Airbnb wrote. “Over time, we want our agent to help guests plan their entire trip in one place, across homes, hotels, services, experiences, and more.”
This won’t be restricted to bookings that are available on Airbnb either. Chesky stated that the AI agent will be able to go “outside the walls of Airbnb,” though noted it will stay within the realm of travel.
“Today’s AI agents, like [Meta’s AI agent] Muse and [invite-only AI assistant] Instinct, are good at simple routine tasks like making a restaurant reservation or scheduling an appointment,” Chesky said. “But planning a trip is different. Travel is aspirational. Discovering where to go and where to stay is part of the experience… I don’t think the general-purpose agents are the best to do that. That is why we are building our own AI agent.”
Airbnb’s new AI travel agent is expected to be released in the first half of 2027.
This upcoming AI travel agent isn’t to be confused with Airbnb’s AI customer support assistant, which is already in operation. Airbnb states that its AI assistant resolved around 40 percent of all customer support issues without any human agents in Q3, an increase from approximately 30 percent last quarter. In Q2, Airbnb’s AI agent resolved nearly 45 percent of issues that specifically began in the tool.
Airbnb reports that its revenue grew 19 percent to $4.9 billion in Q3, bringing in a net income of $1.9 billion.
