RoomRaccoon, a cloud-based hotel tech system, said this week that it is expanding its presence in Ireland via acquisition.
Airbnb Acquires AI Company, GamePlanner.AI
14.11.2023 - 20:39 / skift.com / Brian Chesky / Justin Dawes
Airbnb said Tuesday that it has acquired an AI company founded by a creator of Siri. The company, called GamePlanner.AI, is a 12-person AI company that has been developing outside of the public eye since it was founded.
Airbnb did not share the acquisition price or terms of the deal. A report by CNBC valued the deal at “just under $200 million,” citing sources familiar with the deal.
The CEO and co-founder of GamePlanner.AI is Adam Cheyer, who sold Siri to Apple in 2010 and later worked alongside Steve Jobs. He co-founded Viv Labs in 2012, which was acquired by Samsung in 2016 to provide the tech behind the company voice assistant, Bixby. He was also on the founding team of Change.org.
The other GamePlanner.AI co-founder is Siamak Hodjat, who worked with Cheyer to lead software development teams for Siri at Apple and for Viv Labs at Samsung.
Airbnb said the GamePlanner.AI team will focus on accelerating certain AI projects at Airbnb and will integrate their tools into the platform.
“What makes GamePlanner.AI so special is that they combine expertise in AI, design, and community,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO and co-founder, in a statement. “AI will rapidly alter our world more than any other technology in our lifetime, but we need to ensure that it augments humanity in a positive way. Airbnb is one of the more humanistic companies in technology, and I believe that, together with Adam and his team, we can develop some of the best interfaces and practical applications for AI.”
Chesky has said Airbnb has been rebuilding the entire app with AI at the center. Most recently, the company announced a new AI-powered photo tour tool for hosts.
“A big part of what attracted us to Airbnb was our shared commitment to using AI to enable human connection,” Cheyer said in a statement. “Like Brian, I believe that without great design and community-based intelligence, AI can only achieve a fraction of its potential. But with them, the sky’s the limit. The Airbnb team understands this better than anyone.”
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
skift.com
02.12.2023 / 00:14
Airbnb Lawsuit in New York Exposes Fake Listings Issue
Airbnb has a fake listings and verification problem — and the company knows it.
skift.com
29.11.2023 / 22:36
Amazon's New AI Tools: How Travel Companies Are Using AWS
Amazon Web Services is having a conference all week in Las Vegas, and there have already been several reveals of next-generation offerings for the travel industry.
skift.com
28.11.2023 / 15:39
France Proposes Value Added Taxes on Airbnb Rentals
The French Senate has greenlit measures to apply value-added tax (VAT) to Airbnb and similar platforms, aiming to address perceived competition imbalances with the hotel sector.
insider.com
23.11.2023 / 11:10
A travel influencer shared voice notes from his Airbnb host warning him about monkeys breaking in and raiding the fridge
A travel influencer received some hilarious voice notes from his Airbnb host, warning him that monkeys could break into the house if he didn't shut the windows properly, seeking bananas.
insider.com
21.11.2023 / 21:55
An Airbnb host who had to refund a $2,400 booking because a neighbor saw a mouse wound up making even more money when he went viral
An Airbnb host who said he initially lost thousands of dollars after a booking was canceled at the last minute shared the story on TikTok and went viral. When he was later reimbursed alongside extra profit he made from a new booking, he pledged to give away hundreds of dollars to those who showed him support.
insider.com
21.11.2023 / 11:16
A woman says her Airbnb host tried to triple the price of her stay after finding out she was going to see Taylor Swift
A woman said she booked a New Orleans Airbnb for her stay in the city next year for Taylor Swift's Eras tour but was shocked when the host tried to triple the cost, and a heated argument ensued.
travelweekly.com
21.11.2023 / 08:13
Travel companies race toward an AI future via acquisitions
Generative artificial intelligence has been the topic of 2023, and companies have taken note with bigwigs speaking openly about plans to integrate the technology.
skift.com
20.11.2023 / 14:13
Airbnb's New Chief Legal Officer Is A Former Biden Aide
Airbnb announced today that it has appointed former White House chief of staff and a prominent figure in Democratic circles Ron Klain as its chief legal officer. A close Biden aide, Klain will begin his role at the company starting January 1.
skift.com
19.11.2023 / 23:39
Will Airbnb's Brian Chesky Get an OpenAI Board Seat?
From his posts and re-posts on X, it’s clear that Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is highly supportive of Sam Altman, the ousted CEO of OpenAI, and now-former board Chairman Greg Brockman, and Chesky seems to be in-the-know about some of the maneuverings behind the scenes.
skift.com
17.11.2023 / 19:09
2 Ways Airbnb Could Boost Revenue
Is Airbnb leaving money on the table, and could it generate more revenue by hiking host fees and introducing sponsored listings?
skift.com
16.11.2023 / 02:31
Mondee Acquires AI Firm Founded by Former Apple Developer
Mondee has acquired an AI company called Purplegrids in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $19 million.