Airbnb buys AI start-up from Siri founder

SAN JOSE - The US-based accommodation platform Airbnb is strengthening its ambitions in artificial intelligence (AI) with the purchase of a new start-up from one of the inventors of Apple's voice assistant Siri on Tuesday, reported German news agency (dpa).

Airbnb did not disclose the purchase price, but according to the US business channel CNBC, it was just under US$200 million. It is not known exactly what the start-up Gameplanner.ai is working on - it was still in so-called "stealth mode", in which young companies operate under the radar.

But the career of founder Adam Cheyer speaks for itself. He was one of the founders of the company behind Siri, which was bought by Apple. After two years with Apple, he worked with other Siri developers on the Viv voice assistance software.

The company was bought by Samsung and became the basis for Apple's voice assistant Bixby.

Airbnb wants to use artificial intelligence to create a kind of "travel concierge" in order to personalise its offerings for users. The platform, which can be used to rent flats and houses, competes with other similar services and the hotel industry. - BERNAMA-dpa