Airbnb says AI chatbot traffic converts better than Google | MarTech

Traffic from AI chatbots converts faster than traffic from Google. That’s according to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, who dropped the data point during the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call.

“And what we see is that traffic coming from chatbots converts faster than traffic coming from Google,” says Chesky.

He did not share specific exchange rates. Airbnb also hasn’t quantified how much traffic comes from chatbots or named the platforms that generate the bulk of it. But the signal is hard to ignore.

Higher intention, lower volume

Chesky referenced ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude and other models in broader comments about the availability of AI platforms. The implication is that users coming from AI assistants may be further along in their journey than someone typing a broad query into Google.

That is in line with what Google and Microsoft have been advocating for months. AI search may result in lower overall click volume, but the traffic it does send may be better qualified.

Dig deeper: AI search shifts traffic from volume to value

If Airbnb’s early data is correct, AI assistants represent a high-intent discovery layer. Not necessarily a replacement for search, but a refinement of it.

AI as a discovery partner

Chesky described chatbots as “very similar to search” and placed them at the very top of the funnel.

“I think these chatbot platforms are going to be a lot like search. They’re going to be really good top-of-funnel discoveries,” he said.

Importantly, Airbnb does not appear to view AI assistants as disintermediaries. Instead, it views them as potential acquisition partners.

“We think they will be positive for Airbnb,” Chesky added.

That’s a notable change in tone from early fears that generative AI would take brands out of the customer journey. For Airbnb, the bet is that strong brand demand, combined with structured content, can translate into AI-driven visibility.

Building an AI-native experience

Airbnb isn’t just responding to AI platforms. It builds its own.

Chesky described a long-term vision of an “AI-native experience” where the app not only gets results, but also understands the user.

“The app isn’t just looking for you. It knows you,” he said.

AI search within Airbnb is currently available to a small percentage of users. The company experiments quickly rather than organizing a major product launch. The goal is to make the search more conversational and expand it beyond travel planning. Sponsored listings may come later, but only after the core AI experience has been refined.

“We want to do AI searches first,” Chesky said.

That order is important. In a conversational interface, traditional ad units don’t simply fit in the way they do on a SERP. Airbnb appears cautious about forcing old monetization formats into a new interaction model.

Dig Deeper: OpenAI and Google Reveal Competing Views on AI Advertising

AI behind the scenes

External traffic is only part of the story. Airbnb is also deeply embedding AI into its operations.

The in-house AI customer service agent now resolves nearly a third of North American support tickets without human intervention. The tool is only in English for now, but a multilingual global rollout is planned, including voice support.

Chesky said the goal is for AI to be able to handle significantly more than 30 percent of tickets within a year.

That is not just a matter of cost efficiency. Faster resolution times and consistent support experiences can also influence downstream loyalty and repeat booking behavior.

Why this matters to marketers

There are two big takeaways for marketing leaders.

First, AI assistants are emerging as a meaningful layer of discovery. If the traffic they send is more qualified, the KPI conversation shifts from raw volume to intent quality. Fewer clicks can still mean more bookings, demos or purchases.

Secondly, brand strength still matters. Airbnb began shifting more of its budget to brand marketing before generative AI took off, reducing its reliance on search marketing. If AI assistants synthesize and recommend rather than list and rank, strong brand signals could become even more important.

AI search is only a small part of the traffic right now, but the direction is clear. The question for marketers is no longer whether AI assistants will influence the purchasing journey. What matters is how quickly you adapt your acquisition, content and measurement strategies to take it into account.