Airbnb’s CEO recently announced the travel accommodation app will go “AI first”, rolling out intelligent “agents” to help users plan and book trips. It’s a broad signal for how customer experience is being redefined.
What started as simple chatbots is evolving into full-scale agents, where the real product isn’t the app itself but the decisions AI makes on a customer’s behalf. And the latest move from Airbnb – an industry trend-setter – is a sign that these agents will become the norm across service industries.
This shift has, and will continue to, transform product design and customer service transforming into memory, judgement, and permissioned action. The brands that get the most benefit will be the ones that understand this shift and learn how to use AI in the right ways, turning intent into action fastest.
Don’t forget - memory is the new competitive edge
In the past, data ownership (having the most customer data, purchase history, behaviour tracking) was one of the main competitive advantages held by companies. It was the moat to the company castle – a defensible competitive advantage that makes it hard for competitors to steal business.
Now, as companies pivot to AI models, owning the customer’s intent and memory becomes the new defensive advantage. The brands that hold this memory will shape customers’ next choices.
And memory doesn’t just connect, but also fosters loyalty.
AI agents are becoming the new loyalty system, replacing points or stamps on a card. Think of the old shopkeeper who knew customers personally, and was able to make suggestions based on tastes and dislikes.
AI agent’s persistent memory of customer preferences and constraints creates loyalty amongst customers and keeps them coming back.
Trust can enhance the whole journey
Too many brands are stuck thinking of AI as a shiny add-on, or something that is implemented as a single feature.
But it’s not 2022 anymore. AI is much more advanced than a chatbot for FAQs or recommendation boxes. The real opportunity is to enhance every touchpoint, across multiple sessions with full context.
This means building systems that remember, decide and act and carry context from past interactions. And it requires trust. Systems must expose “action” APIs so that agents can safely check availability, confirm prices, apply refund rules and execute transactions without friction.
In an AI-agent economy, if you’re not callable, you’re invisible. And autonomy only works when customers trust agents to act on their behalf. This means clear permissions, spending caps, and total transparency on data use are essential.
Accuracy here is critical – a confident but wrong agent can destroy trust permanently. Airbnb’s bet is that by being callable at every step, it evolves from a booking tool into a lifestyle companion. Every brand can learn from that.
Make it social
Travel is rarely a solo act. Shared planning is one of the biggest unlocks for AI.
Intelligent agents can enhance the social element of travel – gathering group preferences, resolving clashes, splitting costs and keeping a clear record so groups reach a decision faster.
These are the tasks that previously required a very intensive human role. Think of the friend who wrangled WhatsApp threads, spreadsheets and payment reminders.
From initial inspiration through to booking, payments, check-in, and even sharing memories afterwards, the entire experience can become more seamless and personal when powered by intelligent systems.
The real shift is that AI can make collective decisions feel effortless and not exhausting. And while travel is the obvious use case, the same principle applies to mortgages, events, even everyday jobs like the weekly food shop.
But of course, there are risks. An agent might prioritise sales over what is best for the customer. Imagine getting booked into an expensive non-refundable holiday before you’ve had the chance to hit the killswitch.
AI agents could also even use data without clear consent, sound certain when wrong, lag at crucial moments or fail when connecting with other systems.
It’s not about building agents that act. It’s building agents that act intelligently, and that customers trust to act on their behalf.
A new interface
Brands must now design for trust to support the new system. And in doing so, transparency, speed and accountability become non-negotiable. Without them, they’ll undermine the very collaboration AI is supposed to enable.
Before long, consumers will bring their own assistants to every interaction. Brands need to plan for that shift. That means understanding when you’re negotiating or marketing to a customer’s agent rather than the human behind it. Agents will meet agents.
The companies that embrace AI agents as the beating heart of their service, not just a bolt-on feature, will thrive in a world where the interface fades, and the decision is everything. Airbnb’s shift is today’s headline, but it’s also tomorrow’s reality.
Fergus Dyer-Smith
Fergus Dyer-Smith is CEO at MSQ’s M3Labs.
