Airbnb acquires this AI startup of Siri’s co-founder

Airbnb

has announced its acquisition of GamePlanner.AI, a secretive new AI start-up.

GamePlanner.AI

was co-founded by

Adam Cheyer

and

Siamak Hodjat

. According to CNBC, the deal is believed to be worth around $200 million.
Cheyer is well-known for his involvement in the launch of

Siri

, which was acquired by

Apple

and now serves as the basis for Apple’s AI-powered assistant.

Hodjat previously worked with Cheyer at Viv Labs, a firm that was bought by Samsung and used to develop its own AI assistant, Bixby, in 2017.
According to Airbnb CEO

Brian Chesky

, generative AI will bring about a radical transformation on the platform. He envisions using it as a “travel concierge” that learns about the users over time and improves their travel experiences. For example, it could match users with the most appropriate rooms or homes.
In a statement, Chesky suggested that their 12-person startup will leverage their expertise in AI and design to create AI-driven experiences similar to an AI-focused consultancy.

Chesky emphasised the significance of AI and its potential to rapidly change our world in a positive way. He stated that the GamePlanner team will concentrate on accelerating select AI projects and integrating their tooling into the Airbnb platform. Chesky believes that, in collaboration with Adam and his team, Airbnb can develop some of the best interfaces and practical applications for AI. He also added that Airbnb is one of the more humanistic companies in technology.

“What makes GamePlanner.AI so special is that they combine expertise in AI, design, and community,” said Airbnb CEO and co-founder. “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.”
Adam Cheyer, the co-founder and CEO of GamePlanner.AI, shared that one of the reasons they were drawn to Airbnb was their mutual dedication to utilising AI to facilitate human connections. He further added that, just like Brian, he too believed that AI could only achieve a fraction of its potential without great design and community-based intelligence. However, with these elements in place, the sky’s the limit. According to Cheyer, the Airbnb team understands this concept better than anyone.