Benzinga - by Bibhu Pattnaik, Benzinga Staff Writer.
Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ: ABNB) is taking decisive action to prevent its rental properties from being used for disruptive New Year's Eve parties by harnessing cutting-edge AI technology.
What Happened: This move comes as Airbnb solidifies its ban on parties, which became a permanent policy in 2022, with a particular focus on strict enforcement during holidays like Memorial Day, Halloween and New Year's Eve.
According to a report by Insider, for Memorial Day this year, Airbnb introduced additional restrictions for specific one- and two-night reservations. It also enacted measures to block reservations it deemed high risk, considering factors such as a user's past ratings, proximity to the booking location and last-minute bookings.
In 2022, Airbnb successfully thwarted a substantial number of New Year's Eve bookings in various countries. In the United States alone, 63,550 bookings were prevented, with 13,200 blocked in the United Kingdom and 5,400 in Australia, the company said in a post.
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Airbnb said it is leveraging its "proprietary AI and machine learning technology" to identify and block booking attempts that could potentially lead to disruptive and unauthorized parties over the holiday weekend. This advanced technology scrutinizes numerous factors for each potential booking, including the duration of the stay, proximity to the location and last-minute reservations.
In instances where bookings for full homes, lasting one to three days, are classified as "high risk," Airbnb may opt to block them. Additionally, guests who successfully book accommodations over the weekend will be prompted to acknowledge Airbnb's party ban policy.
Naba Banerjee, Airbnb's head of trust and safety, emphasized the company's commitment to utilizing technology like AI for the betterment of hosts, guests and the neighborhoods they inhabit. These measures are intended to have a positive impact on the communities Airbnb serves.
"When it comes to how we use technology like AI, we're focused on taking a thoughtful approach that aims to benefit Hosts, guests and neighborhoods," Banerjee said in the post.
"We're optimistic these measures will help have a positive impact for the communities we serve."
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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy of Airbnb.
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