Airbnb Acquires , AI Startup.
Airbnb has bought its first company since
going public at the end of 2020, CNBC reports.
The "stealth mode" startup it acquired
is called Gameplanner.AI.
The deal is "valued at just under
$200 million," CNBC reports.
Gameplanner.AI co-founder
Adam Cheyer was also a founder of Siri.
Cheyer worked with Steve Jobs
for a period of time.
He went on to co-found Viv Labs, which helped to develop Samsung's voice assistant.
According to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky,
generative AI will be used as a "travel concierge.".
The artificial intelligence will be able to learn
about users to improve their travel experiences.
The deal could make Airbnb itself
more attractive to buyers.
At the end of September, the company had
"$11 billion in cash and liquid assets," CNBC reports. .
Airbnb's acquisition comes as Google is reportedly in talks to invest in a different AI startup, Character.AI