“AI is now embedded in the Grab way of life, whether it’s in our products or the way we work,” Peter Oey, chief financial officer of the ride-hailing and delivery platform, told CNBC in an interview published Tuesday (Aug. 4).
He said AI has helped Grab ship goods more than 30% faster, which means better margins and a more efficient cost structure, the report said. Oey added that Grab recorded a 28% increase year over year in the number of rides in the second quarter, “one of the highest that we’ve seen.”
According to the report, revenues were up 22% year on year to $997 million with Grab’s operating profit at $19 million, a 186% increase.
“We’re seeing demand continue to be very strong in the business in the month of July itself, and our financial services continue to scale and are at an inflection point today,” Oey said.
During Grab’s earnings call in May, management discussed the rewards the company had reaped from other AI tools.
For example, Grab’s “Turbo” mode, an AI-powered tool for drivers, reportedly boosted hourly earnings by 23% by optimizing routes and timing. In Grab’s retail business, a digital assistant named “Mai” has been adopted by half of Grab’s single-store merchants, helping lead to a 15% increase in sales for those users.
Meanwhile, the CNBC report said Oey also discussed Grab’s agreement to purchase Delivery Hero’s foodpanda business in Taiwan, saying the company was working with regulators but had not yet closed the deal, something it hopes will happen in the latter half of 2026.
“A lot of the products that the Southeast Asian community has been seeing and using day in and day out, we want to bring to the Taiwan market as well,” he said.
In other news from the intersection of AI and delivery, PYMNTS wrote about the technology’s use in helping eCommerce retailers figure out box sizes.
“Getting the box-fit estimate right before checkout is a conversion question as much as a fulfillment efficiency one,” that report said. “As more of eCommerce fulfillment becomes automated end to end, the accuracy of the shipping estimate shown at checkout is becoming a competitive variable in its own right, alongside price and delivery speed.”
