Introduction:
Airbnb has purchased Gameplanner, a new, convert AI business; the business declared this morning. TechCrunch could not verify CNBC’s $200 million acquisition price at the time of publication.
Siamak Hodjat and Adam Cheyer co-founded Gameplanner. Famously, Cheyer co-founded the startup Siri, whose technology Apple later bought and used to power Apple’s AI-powered Siri assistant. Hodjat and Cheyer had previously collaborated at Viv Labs, a company that Samsung acquired and used to introduce Bixby, its AI assistant, in 2017.
What Gameplanner does isn’t immediately apparent. Only two associates surface on LinkedIn: Joseph Huang, head of design at Gameplanner, and Gabe Greenbaum, general partner at B Capital and member of the company’s board of directors. Gameplanner hasn’t been online for a while; the earliest cache of the website available on the Internet Archive is from December 2021, leading to a blank page.
Airbnb Acquires Secretive Firm Launched by Siri Co-Founder:
Airbnb Acquires Secretive Firm Launched by Siri Co-Founder [Source of Image: Techcrunch.com]
Nonetheless, Brian Chesky, the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, suggested in a prepared statement that the 12-member company, operating as an AI-focused consultancy, integrates expertise in design and AI to craft experiences driven by artificial intelligence.
Chesky emphasized, “During our lifetime, the pace of societal transformation brought about by artificial intelligence (AI) will surpass that of any other technology. However, we must ensure AI enhances humanity.” The Gameplanner team will concentrate on “accelerating” a few chosen AI projects and incorporating their tools into Airbnb’s platform. “Airbnb is one of the more humanistic tech companies, and I think we can work with Adam and his team to create some of the best AI interfaces and useful applications.”
Chesky recently revealed his AI goals for Airbnb, stating that he wants to create a “travel concierge” that is aware of and responsive to visitors through generative AI. It appears he’s serious about realizing that ambition, as Gameplanner is Airbnb’s first purchase since 2019 (and its first as a public company).
