# Consumer AI needs product thinkers, not just AI researchers Markdown copy of https://realalpha.app/s/consumer-ai-needs-product-thinkers-not-just-ai-researchers/ on Real Alpha, the best minutes from long interviews with the people building AI. Cite and link the page, not this copy. - Speaker: [Brian Chesky](https://realalpha.app/people/brian-chesky/) · Brian Chesky is CEO of Airbnb. · Built Airbnb from its first hosted stays into a global community with over five million hosts. - Host: [John Coogan](https://realalpha.app/people/john-coogan/) · Co-host, TBPN · Co-founded Soylent and Lucy; OpenAI bought his show TBPN in April 2026. - Host: [Jordi Hays](https://realalpha.app/people/jordi-hays/) · Co-host, TBPN · Founded Branded Native; co-founded fintech Capital, which Rho bought. - Show: TBPN - Episode: [Airbnb CEO on Why AI Will Create a New Era of Consumer Products](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/), May 8, 2026 - Moment: 18:00 to 20:54 of the episode (3 min), playing on https://realalpha.app/s/consumer-ai-needs-product-thinkers-not-just-ai-researchers/; the episode from there: https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1080 ## Quote > “And I think in the next two years, you're going to see a **massive revolution in consumer**.” > — [Brian Chesky](https://realalpha.app/people/brian-chesky/) at [20:20](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1220) · TBPN ## Takeaways 1. Many AI teams lack product people and designers. 2. Enterprise trends can crowd out consumer innovation. 3. Chesky predicts a consumer AI revolution within two years. ## About this segment Brian Chesky says many AI teams are chasing similar technical and enterprise problems while neglecting consumer design. He predicts a major consumer shift as image and video models enable new interfaces. From “Airbnb CEO on Why AI Will Create a New Era of Consumer Products”, May 8, 2026. [Watch the full episode](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/) ## Transcript From the transcript TBPN publishes with the episode. [18:03](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1083) Matt, well, this is such a good question. I think there's like three or four factors going on. The first factor is I saw a tweet recently that I think there's like 60 new Neo labs being formed. Yeah. And I've met a number of these researchers and a lot of them are interested in doing the same things. Yeah. And I think what I'm noticing is most of these teams are purely AI people. Yeah. They don't have product people or designers on their team. [18:28](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1108) It's they're picking things like science. They're picking things like coding. Mhmm. They're picking things like we wanna create a different type of model. This is great, but I don't know if all 60 companies should be doing the same problem. And so what you're seeing is you don't see a big focus on people wanting to do consumer. I think some people think that the AGI can just figure out consumer. I think that's maybe simple overly simplistic thinking. I do think you have to have a point of view about consumer. So I think that's the first point. [18:54](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1134) I think the second point is Silicon Valley has become more vibe and trend based than when I came to Silicon Valley 2007, although it was back then. And one of the things I think when people see enterprise companies doing well, they go into it. And I think there's this like natural flywheel. The other thing is I know in Y Combinator, for example, we teach the Y Combinator companies to use the other companies as their customers. Yeah. [19:16](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1156) Now back in the day, we would get them to use our product as consumers. Yeah. But I think everyone's figured out actually it's way more efficient to get them to to become customers. [19:25](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1165) It's like five code five code gen startups all being like Yes. You code with me. Yes. Exactly. Yeah. [19:32](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1172) And so I think enterprise makes a lot of sense until everyone does enterprise. Yeah. And then suddenly, like, everyone's saying consumer's hard, but you know it's also hard? Like, competing with 10 other companies and enterprise doing your idea too. That's also hard. Yeah. I think additionally, the image in in video generation models are having a I think image two is almost like a Claude code breakthrough. It is so good now in the C Dance video models Yeah. That I think we're about to enter this new era where suddenly going beyond text is possible. I Yeah. [20:04](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1204) Think you're going to even be able to see real time AI generated interface in the next year or two. So my prediction is this has been the era of enterprise. Even ChatGPT's breakout success, I would predict that most of the revenue is going to go be going to Codex. That's my I might be wrong, but just given how much money is going to Claude. And I think in the next two years, you're going to see a massive revolution in consumer. [20:27](https://realalpha.app/v/TyNufBceyZo/?t=1227) And I think you're going to need a couple of companies to lead the way. I think we need reference points. I mean, me saying the chatbot's not the interface, people are probably asking, well, what is? And someone needs to be the one to do that. I mean, we're going to try to do our part. I'm not sure Airbnb will be the company to blaze the trail, but I think someone has to. I think in another era, it would have been Apple, like the Steve Jobs era, Apple would have done that. Maybe Apple will do that, but they would have been typically the company that would have done that.