Uber, DoorDash, Airbnb: The Use of AI Agents Remains Marginal

Key Takeaways

1Uber, DoorDash, and Airbnb report very low usage of AI agents for bookings

2Uber recorded only four rides booked by AI agents out of 320 million human rides in one week

3United Airlines, Alibaba, and the Swedish government are limiting certain uses of AI

4Studies and internet users are questioning the time-saving promises of these tools

Why it matters : These figures and restrictions show that automation by AI agents is not becoming prevalent in everyday use, despite industry expectations.

Conversational agents intended to automate orders and reservations are struggling to find their audience. Uber, DoorDash, and Airbnb report minimal usage volumes, while some companies and a government are already restricting certain uses of AI. Executives and internet users argue that current tools do not provide a tangible time-saving benefit for these tasks.

Restrictions and Studies Contradict the Promise of Time Savings

Several organizations are limiting the use of agents or AI tools. United Airlines has banned AI bots from booking flights, according to the Wall Street Journal. Alibaba has prohibited its employees from using Claude Code. The Swedish government has blocked Claude and ChatGPT for security reasons. Meanwhile, a recent report indicates that AI tools are causing many people to work an additional 90 minutes per day, and another study notes that workers spend more time correcting AI-generated content than producing actual work. These findings contribute to a growing sentiment that AI does not always equate to time savings.

Derisory AI Agent Volumes Compared to Human Usage

The figures reported by Uber, DoorDash, and Airbnb reveal that AI agents are rarely utilized. Uber recorded 320 million rides booked by human users during Halloween week, while only four rides were booked via AI agents during the same period. For DoorDash, Tony Xu mentions that AI agents facilitated several hundred orders, whereas, according to TechSpot, the platform processes billions of orders each year. Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, states that a negligible portion of bookings on the app uses AI agents. The three companies specify that, in recent weeks, agents have only been involved in a handful of transactions, confirming that at this stage, almost no one is using these intermediaries to access their services.

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What Users and Executives Say About the Real Interest in Agents

AI agents, such as Meta's Muse or OpenAI's Dots, are supposed to save time and automate repetitive tasks. However, users express doubts about their usefulness. On Reddit, a popular comment highlights that deciding what to do or eat is part of the enjoyment, and that seeking hyper-efficiency for leisure is not desirable; an AI agent would remove that enjoyable aspect. Another user believes that explaining to an agent that they want a pizza for under $30 requires more effort than using the delivery app directly. From the companies' side, Uber's CFO, Balaji Krishnamurthy, indicates that it takes about 50 seconds to book a ride, which limits the appeal of an AI agent to speed up the process. Brian Chesky at Airbnb suggests that many prefer to organize their trips themselves, as an AI cannot judge the quality of a lodging or the appeal of nearby activities.

Adoption Remains Distant According to Current Signals

Recent data shows that transactions made via AI agents remain very low, particularly at Uber and Airbnb. The notion that AI does not always represent an operational shortcut contributes to the perception that widespread adoption of agents for these uses is not imminent. The reported figures depict a situation where the tool remains anecdotal for public bookings and orders.