US investigation on Airbnb intensifies, cheap AI becomes a problem, is users’ data in danger?

Chinese AI model issue: The world’s famous travel company Airbnb is embroiled in a big controversy these days. According to reports, an investigation has started in America regarding the use of Chinese Artificial Intelligence models by the company. This matter has become so serious that two major committees of the US Parliament have directly sought answers from the company.

Parliament committees sent notices

According to media reports, the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Select Committee on China have issued notices to Airbnb and AI company Anysphere. In this notice, many important questions have been asked from the companies. They wanted to know why they chose the Chinese AI model and under what circumstances it was used. Besides, information about their relations with Chinese AI companies has also been sought.

These questions were asked to companies

This investigation is being led by John Moolenaar and Andrew Garbarino. According to reports, if needed, the company’s employees may have to appear in person and answer. It is clear from this that the matter will no longer be limited to mere paper investigation, but will be investigated in depth.

Concern about national security

American lawmakers have linked this entire matter to national security. He says that even though Chinese AI models are cheap and open-source, they may contain serious threats related to data security. According to John Moolenaar, these AI systems are trained under China’s censorship framework, which increases the possibility of data leaks and cyber security breaches.

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Which AI is being used in Airbnb?

The most interesting thing is that Airbnb’s customer service system is based on Alibaba’s Qwen AI model. In December 2025, the company’s CEO Brian Chesky had said that this model is fast and economical, so the company is using it on a large scale. At the same time, regarding tools like ChatGPT, he had said that they are not yet completely ready for production, hence they are being used on a limited level.

What could happen next?

The results of this investigation can have a big impact on both the tech and travel industries in the future. If the allegations are proven true, then strict rules may be implemented for companies, so that the security of users’ data can be further strengthened.