Grab partners OpenAI to increase accessibility, mapping and customer support

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Superapp Grab and AI developer OpenAI have teamed to build and deploy advanced AI solutions that will enrich the Grab experience for users, partners, and employees.

This collaboration, the first of its kind for OpenAI in the region, uniquely combines the development of AI tools for Grab users and partners with an initial pilot deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise for Grab employees, it said in a statement.

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Grab will access OpenAI’s technical and strategic expertise to partner on solutions tailored to the specific needs of users in Southeast Asia, focused initially on three key areas:

1. Accessibility: Grab will leverage the use of text and voice capabilities to make Grab's services more accessible to all users, particularly the visually impaired or elderly who may otherwise find it challenging to navigate the on-screen app interface.

2. Customer support: Grab will explore using AI technology to build customer support chatbots that can better understand user problems and help resolve them faster.

3. Mapping: Grab will seek to leverage OpenAI’s vision capabilities to enhance its map-making efforts through greater automation and higher quality data extraction from visual images. This means GrabMaps can be updated even faster, delivering a better experience to consumers and driver-partners, it said.

In addition to developing advanced AI solutions for its users and partners, Grab also intends to deploy ChatGPT Enterprise among select employees through an initial pilot, complementing existing efforts to drive wider use of AI tools across its employee base to boost productivity.

“We’ve been a pioneer of AI adoption in the region, and believe that generative AI has a lot of potential to further transform the way we solve problems for our partners and users," said Philipp Kandal, chief product officer at Grab.

He added that Grab is excited to work with OpenAI as a partner to help accelerate the exploration and use of this technology within Grab.

"Our goal with any new technology has always been to use it to solve real problems, at scale. Equipped with the latest tools, we look forward to building novel and delightful experiences for our customers while improving the way that every Grabber works,” said Kandal.

"We're excited to work with Grab and together explore how advanced AI can benefit Grab users, partners, and employees across Southeast Asia," added Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer at OpenAI.

The news comes shortly after the OpenAI board formed a safety and security committee. The committee will be responsible for making recommendations to the full board on critical safety and security decisions for OpenAI projects and operations.

It will be led by directors Bret Taylor, Adam D'Angelo, Nicole Seligman and CEO Sam Altman.

The safety and security committee comes as OpenAI begins training for its next frontier model. For its first task, the team will evaluate and further develop OpenAI's processes and safeguards over the next 90 days. The committee will then present its findings to OpenAI's board.

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