Airbnb is further increasing its investment in artificial intelligence. According to Bloomberg, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky plans to establish a new artificial intelligence lab to explore next-generation AI products and interaction methods. This news was later confirmed by insiders to TechCrunch.

For a long time, Chesky has been an important participant in the Silicon Valley AI ecosystem. Although Airbnb has already adopted AI coding tools internally, Chesky has previously publicly stated that current large language model products are not yet fully mature, and therefore Airbnb has not established deep collaborations with any model manufacturers.

It is worth noting that Chesky maintains a long-term close relationship with Sam Altman. The two first met through Y Combinator in 2006. As OpenAI rapidly rose, Chesky often communicated with Altman and shared his experience in managing high-growth tech companies. During the 2023 OpenAI board turmoil, Chesky also helped Altman return to the company's management, being seen as one of his key supporters.

Airbnb

Now, it seems that Chesky is preparing to shift from being a supporter to a participant in the AI ecosystem. According to the report, the specific research directions of the new lab have not been disclosed, but they may focus on user interaction experiences and product design innovation, which have long been areas of focus for Chesky within Airbnb.

Industry insiders believe that this project bears some resemblance to the AI laboratory Hark founded by Brett Adcock. Hark focuses on developing new interaction interfaces for AI assistants and exploring product forms that combine software and hardware.

However, Chesky himself will not directly serve as the founder or head of the new lab. According to insiders, he will continue to serve as CEO of Airbnb and only participate in the project development as an investor and promoter. In the future, the lab will not only compete with leading AI institutions such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, but will also face the challenge of exploring new paradigms for AI products.

As of now, neither Airbnb nor Brian Chesky have commented on this news.

As more technology companies begin to build their own AI R&D capabilities, AI competition is expanding from model capabilities to product experiences and user interactions. Brian Chesky's bet on the AI lab reflects the continued exploration of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs into the next generation of AI product forms.