Grab Teams With OpenAI to Integrate AI in Ride-Hailing, Delivery Business

Ride-hailing and delivery company Grab partnered with artificial intelligence firm OpenAI to upgrade its app and integrate AI across its business

Grab, which operates in eight Southeast Asian countries, plans to use OpenAI’s technology to improve its mapping capabilities, allowing for quicker updates and more accurate navigation, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday (May 30). The company also aims to build more efficient chatbots for customer support, as well as use text and voice to make its services more accessible to the elderly and those with visual impairments.

As part of the collaboration, Grab will make ChatGPT Enterprise, OpenAI’s chatbot designed for large companies, available to select employees in a pilot program to drive wider use of AI tools throughout its operations, the report said. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

OpenAI has been making strides in expanding its customer base, announcing partnerships with businesses in the United States and Europe, and strengthening its connection with Microsoft, its largest backer. The San Francisco-based AI company said 600,000 individuals pay for its ChatGPT business products, and 92% of Fortune 500 companies are using the technology in some form, per the report.

PricewaterhouseCoopers announced Wednesday (May 29) that it would become the largest customer and first reseller of OpenAI’s enterprise chatbot, making it available to its 75,000 U.S. employees and 26,000 workers in the United Kingdom, the report said. OpenAI has a dedicated team of about 200 people to help sell its AI technology to companies.

The strategic partnership with OpenAI is a key part of Grab’s focus on cutting expenses and using AI to achieve profitability, according to the report.

The company raised its annual forecast for adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to between $250 million and $270 million, up from $180 million to $200 million. The positive outlook is a result of its “relentless” efforts to cut costs, as well as the impact of AI in optimizing its operations.

Grab CEO Anthony Tan emphasized the role of generative AI in improving efficiencies during an earnings call, stating: “It is one of the key reasons why we are confident about how we can continuously optimize cost levels in our regional corporate costs.”

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