Is Airbnb’s AI system now making decisions on review removal?

[Derek681]

Hi everyone,

I’m a fairly new Superhost, and I really value my reputation and the effort I put into creating great guest experiences.

Recently, I submitted my first detailed review removal request. I spent hours preparing clear evidence — photos, chat screenshots, and video proof — but Airbnb replied within minutes saying the review couldn’t be removed. The response didn’t seem to address any of the details I provided, and it felt like the decision itself was made by an AI system, not an actual human review.

When I submitted a second appeal with even more context, the same thing happened again — another near instant denial. It seems like the process is now fully handled by AI rather than being reviewed by real people.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Do you know if Airbnb now uses AI systems to decide on review removal requests?

I’d really appreciate any advice from other Superhosts or Community Managers on how to make sure a real person reviews my case — and what steps I can take after two denied appeals.

Thanks so much,

Derek

[Joan2709]

@Derek681 

Yes...sadly this is the current situation:

This issue stems from Airbnb’s implementation of a poorly developed AI system to handle review disputes, introduced earlier this year. Despite numerous documented cases where the system violates Airbnb’s own written policies, the company has failed to take corrective action. The resulting harm to Hosts is significant and cannot be overstated.

The latest suggestion is to submit your review removal request only once through the automated system. Then if denied, contact Airbnb CS to escalate instead of submitting again a second time in the automated system.

I recommend that Hosts:

1. Turn off Instant Book and screen their guests thoroughly
2. List on other platforms 
3. Consider a direct booking site
4. File an Arbitration claim against Airbnb under their Terms of Service for not upholding their own written policies
5. Continue to escalate the case with Airbnb for removal

Arbitration Claim 

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908#22

To be fair, some negative reviews are deserved and should not be removed. However, the vast majority I am seeing posted about in the CC are clearly retaliatory reviews by guests that should be removed in accordance with existing Airbnb written policies.

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Derek681 

Concrete public disclosures are limited and the full extent of AI use is not fully verified but with kind of behavior when filing for disputes it seems like it. 

So if you’re disputing a review, treat it as though you’re facing an automated system use the right categories, adhere strictly to the allowed forms and evidence. Keep in short and policy-focused.

Use only the allowed categories when you submit a removal request (match their wording). Provide clear, structured evidence so any human who later views the case can see the violation quickly.

have you tried to appeal your review removal? 

[Derek681]

Yeah, I’ve actually contacted support again. They told me my case is now under investigation. Apparently, the Review Policy team will email me once they’ve made a decision, so I’m just waiting to hear back from them now. 

[Derek681]

Quick follow-up: I just got a call from Airbnb. Unfortunately, the answer is still no. I asked about the whole AI review process, but they didn’t really respond — just said the decision came from a higher-level team and that it’s final.

So I guess that’s it. Even as a Superhost, there’s not much more we can do. Honestly, it makes me think we hosts should consider creating our own kind of “blacklist” or shared reference for guests who abuse the system or house rules.

They also mentioned my post here in the Community Center, so I think it might have actually caught their attention.

[Joan2709]

@Derek681 

So sorry about that...

You can still file an arbitration claim against Airbnb for not complying with their own written policies.

[Cornelius29]

I had to report a guest to the safety team for smoking illicit substances, they reported smell of burning plastic (crack) and that guest had set fire alarm off several times early in the morning. When my neighbor reported that he called police on the guest because they suspected he was stealing packages, I reported the guest to the Airbnb safety team. When I spoke with them they assured me that if guest tried to leave a retaliatory review I could reference the conversation ID..but when the guest left a retaliatory review, saying that my other Airbnb guests "peed in the sink" along with other made up stuff the AI system gave me rejection within 30 minutes. Since Airbnb hosts can submit a request twice, I called again to get someone to help me and a Case Manager told me she couldn't help me because I had submitted request twice...even though I have only submitted it once. I wanted her to help me and she was too lazy to. Airbnb hosts should not have to deal with false reviews from people who repeatedly violate house rules and who my other Airbnb guests complained about in regards to their own safety.  Can someone help me get this review taken down or I will have to get attorney @Airbnb 

[Joan2709]

@Cornelius29 

This issue stems from Airbnb’s implementation of a poorly developed AI system to handle review disputes, introduced earlier this year. Despite numerous documented cases where the system violates Airbnb’s own written policies, the company has failed to take corrective action. The resulting harm to Hosts is significant and cannot be overstated.

The latest suggestion is to submit your review removal request only once through the automated system. Then if denied, contact Airbnb CS to escalate instead of submitting again a second time in the automated system. 

I recommend that Hosts:

1. Turn off Instant Book and screen their guests thoroughly
2. List on other platforms 
3. Consider a direct booking site
4. File an Arbitration claim against Airbnb under their Terms of Service for not upholding their own written policies
5. Continue to escalate the case with Airbnb for removal

Arbitration Claim (U.S. Hosts)

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2908#22

To be fair, some negative reviews are deserved and should not be removed. However, the vast majority I am seeing posted about in the CC are clearly retaliatory reviews by guests that should be removed in accordance with existing Airbnb written policies.

[Agustín-De-Plus-Props0]

We are having the same problem. 

Airbnb is implementing a lot of tools that are harmful for Hosts. Unfortunately, the Support Team has to follow the rules.

I couldn't manage to delete a review from guests who left without paying (the card was not valid)

[Cornelius29]

The guests left a review without even paying???

[Emilie]

@Derek681 @Joan2709 @Cornelius29 @Agustín-De-Plus-Props0 @Patricia2526 

Hi all, thanks for this conversation.

As we've previously shared, all submitted review disputes are reviewed by Airbnb team members. The increase in the speed of reviews is due to the resourcing and training our teams are doing to best support review removal requests.

Thanks, 

Emilie

[Cornelius29]

Yea thats clearly not true, but thanks for the update Emilie 

[Joan2709]

@Emilie 

Thanks for the update; appreciate that.

Unfortunately, what we see as Hosts clearly show that AI is being used to handle review disputes (at least initially), as denials come in minutes; not nearly long enough for a human to review all the submitted proof (photos, video, screenshots). Doubtful that is due to resourcing and training, as even with training a human would still have to review the evidence manually and no way denials can be sent that quickly if a human were doing it.    

"Airbnb is using AI to handle some aspects of review disputes. Specifically, Airbnb has implemented an AI system to filter and potentially remove reviews, as part of a policy update that has caused some controversy among hosts." 

Simply having AI reading the text of a guest's review is not sufficient to determine if it is retaliatory. This is what appears to be happening. The AI "team member" can do that quickly and then say "Removal Denied". More is needed to determine if a review is retaliatory. This requires a human agent to review the entire case, not base the decision on the text of a guest review alone.

Here's why:

Guests often fabricate issues in a review in retaliation when caught breaking house rules, or when a damage claim is filed. These fabrications in the written text may not necessarily violate Airbnb policies regarding reviews, but are clearly a retaliation from the guest. A human can easily spot this by reading through the evidence, as the retaliatory review happens immediately after they are caught breaking house rules or a claim for damages is filed. The human can read through guest messages between the Host/Guest, review video footage and photos of the damage caused by the guest and/or the guest can clearly be seen breaking house rules (unregistered guests, damaging property, smoking, etc.). A human can read the police report a Host submits indicating an unauthorized party was taking place (10 guest maximum and the police report mentions 30 persons). Airbnb may even cancel the stay and require the guest to vacate the property for violating House Rules and yet the Host is unable to get the bogus retaliatory review removed? This tells me that AI is being used. It doesn't work as the final arbiter for Review Disputes. 

That said, there are negative reviews that are deserved and of course should not be removed. However, the vast majority we read about are clearly retaliatory on the part of the guest and should be removed.

[Ethan760]

I’ve seen a few hosts mention similar experiences recently. The responses on review removal requests do seem much faster than they used to be, and it often feels like an automated check happens first.

What has helped some hosts is clearly pointing to the exact review policy that was violated and keeping the appeal very direct. If it keeps getting denied, you can try asking a Community Manager to look into it so it gets reviewed by a person.

[Rcvi0]

Hi Derek,

You are definitely not alone — I experienced something very similar, and in my case it was even more concerning.

I submitted a review removal request with clear evidence showing that the review violated Airbnb’s own policies. Initially, Airbnb agreed and removed the review. However, shortly after, the same review was reinstated without any new evidence or explanation, which was extremely confusing and frustrating.

Like you, I spent a significant amount of time preparing documentation, but the responses I received did not address the substance of my evidence. It felt inconsistent and lacked transparency, as if the decision-making process was not being handled with proper human review.

What concerns me most is not just the denial, but the lack of a clear, fair, and stable review process. When a decision can be reversed without explanation, it creates uncertainty and puts hosts in a very vulnerable position, especially when our reputation and income depend on these reviews.

From my experience, it does raise serious questions about whether these decisions are being handled by automated systems rather than a meaningful human review.

I would also appreciate hearing if anyone has successfully escalated a case beyond the standard appeals process, because the current system does not seem to provide a reliable path for resolution.

Thanks for bringing this up — it’s an important conversation for all hosts.