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Humans need to 'surf the wave' of AI rather than get swallowed by it, Chesky says at Communacopia

2026-09-10 | original

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Why This Matters

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky used a high-profile investor conference to push back on AI determinism, framing the technology as neutral "like nuclear power" and its outcome as a human choice. The remarks matter because they come from a platform CEO addressing investors alongside Nvidia, Uber and SpaceX leaders, signaling that AI's labor and societal implications are now central to how big tech companies pitch themselves to Wall Street.

Key Takeaways

Chesky called AI neither "inherently good or bad," comparing it to nuclear power that can light up or destroy a city.
He framed his view as a "cognitive revolution" in which humans get smarter alongside the technology, and admitted he isn't confident the outcome will be positive.
AI dominated Goldman Sachs' Communacopia + Technology Conference, which also featured Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi and SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen.

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The Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference continued on Thursday with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen among the notable names set to take the stage.

Artificial intelligence has been a big topic of discussion so far at the annual meeting of top executives, which started Tuesday.

AirBnb CEO Brian Chesky said the technology wasn't "inherently good or bad" in an interview with CNBC's David Faber that aired Thursday. He said the technology's potential is in human hands.

"I'm not confident I'm right. I'm not confident that it's going to be positive, but I think it can be. It's like nuclear power; it can either light up a city or destroy a city," Chesky said.

He added that his AI theory is of a "cognitive revolution" that helps humans get smarter along with the technology.

"We need to remind people of how valuable they will be to society, and that AI is a wave, and we can surf the wave rather than get swallowed underneath the water," he said.

Explore topics: brian chesky airbnb goldman sachs communacopia jensen huang artificial intelligence