Airbnb says AI now writes 60% of its new code

In its recent earnings call for the first quarter of 2026, Airbnb revealed significant advancements in its use of artificial intelligence. The company stated that a remarkable 60% of the code developed by its engineers during this period was generated by AI tools. This trend mirrors similar sentiments expressed by industry giants like Google, Microsoft, and Spotify, all of which have highlighted the role of AI in expediting their development processes. Airbnb's CEO, Brian Chesky, emphasized the transformative potential of AI, particularly in creating robust tools for API partners who utilize various software to manage their properties. "API partners are eager to enhance their hosting capabilities and require improved tools. AI provides substantial leverage—where a team of 20 engineers was once necessary, a single engineer can now deploy agents to efficiently handle numerous tasks under supervision," Chesky explained. This shift towards AI is enabling Airbnb to produce more software for its partners, expediting projects that previously lacked sufficient resources. The company has also been progressively integrating AI into its customer support operations. Chesky shared that currently, the AI-driven support bot addresses 40% of customer inquiries autonomously, an increase from 33% earlier in the year. Furthermore, Airbnb is exploring AI applications to enhance its search functionality, although Chesky acknowledged the challenges of effectively applying AI in the travel and e-commerce sectors. He pointed out that the existing chatbot interfaces have notable limitations, including excessive text, a lack of direct manipulation, difficulties in comparing numerous options, and the predominance of single-player interactions, which do not align well with the multi-faceted nature of travel bookings. In financial terms, Airbnb reported a 3.9% increase in net income, reaching $160 million, while revenue surged by 18% to $2.7 billion compared to the same quarter last year. Additionally, the number of nights booked rose by 9%, totaling 156.2 million. The introduction of the "Reserve now, pay later" feature was particularly successful, contributing nearly 20% to the company's gross booking value for the quarter.