Grab debuted a number of innovative agentic AI solutions during its first ever GrabX event – AI Merchant Assistant and AI Driver Companion. These tools are made to provide actionable insights and support for day-to-day tasks, using the latest foundational models from OpenAI and Anthropic.
AI Merchant Assistant
The AI Merchant Assistant is a chatbot integrated within the GrabMerchant app and is powered by Large Language Models (LLMs). It’s personalized business advisor for merchants, offering tailored insights and assistance with operational and business queries.
This solution aims to level the playing field for small businesses by providing them with the same level of technological support that larger brands enjoy. The assistant can do numerous tasks, like proactively offer suggestions on improving sales, creating ad campaigns, and updating menus.
It will soon provide financing solutions tailored to individual merchants, including lending products from GrabFin and Grab’s digital banks.
AI Driver Companion
The AI Driver Companion features two key AI-powered solutions within the Grab Driver app. The AI ride-guidance feature uses real-time and historical data to predict areas of high ride demand, guiding drivers to these hotspots more efficiently.
This not only helps drivers find jobs faster but also enhances road safety by reducing the need for manual navigation. Over 250,000 drivers across Southeast Asia use this feature weekly.
The AI-assisted voice reporting tool allows drivers to report road conditions in real-time, enhancing the accuracy of GrabMaps. This tool has seen significant adoption, with over 16,000 reports daily from more than 900,000 drivers. Voice reporting is safer and is more detailed than manual submissions, supporting multiple languages and improving GrabMaps’ update speed and accuracy.
Expanded Partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic
The introduction of these AI solutions coincides with Grab’s expanded collaboration with OpenAI, which was first announced in May 2024, and the establishment of a new strategic partnership with Anthropic, the developer of the Claude AI models. These partnerships enable Grab to co-create innovative AI tools that cater to the specific needs of its merchant and driver partners. By working with these leading AI research organizations, Grab gains access to cutting-edge capabilities, while providing its partners with real-world use cases to refine and advance their AI models.
“Our merchant- and driver-partners are some of Southeast Asia’s most entrepreneurial folk. We want to equip them with the tools to succeed, especially in an increasingly AI-centric world. The two agentic AI solutions we’re introducing today are personal, intelligent assistants designed to help every merchant and driver optimize their businesses and maximize productivity. This will help them focus on what they do best—serving customers. These solutions reflect our AI-First with Heart approach—our commitment to solving real problems for the communities we serve, with AI at the core of how we work and what we build.”
– Philipp Kandal, Chief Product Officer at Grab
Grab’s collaboration with OpenAI and Anthropic underscores its commitment to leveraging AI to enhance the user experience and empower its partners. Integrating OpenAI’s models into the AI Merchant Assistant, Grab provides merchants with accurate and relevant recommendations.
On the other hand, Anthropic’s Claude powers numerous aspects of the conversations with users, offering a personalized and human-like interaction. The AI-assisted voice reporting tool for drivers use OpenAI’s GPT-40 to categorize road incidents accurately and communicates with drivers empathetically using OpenAI’s Real-Time API technology.
For more information, visit Grab’s official website or follow its pages on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
