Grab Credits AI Investments For 23% Jump in Driver Earnings

Grab Holdings is betting that 14 years of hyper-localized data can outrun seasonal slumps and regulatory headwinds in Southeast Asia.

The Singapore-based “super-app” reported first-quarter results Tuesday (May 5) that showed revenues up 24%, and highlighted the increasing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) to squeeze efficiency from its massive delivery and ride-hailing networks.

“Today, Grab operates as the system of record for local commerce across Southeast Asia,” Chief Executive Anthony Tan said during an earnings call, arguing that the company’s “proprietary data foundation” of more than 20 billion transactions allows it to deploy AI in ways that competitors cannot easily match.

The results offer a glimpse into how Grab is moving AI from theoretical promise into daily operations. The company’s “Turbo” mode, an AI-powered tool for drivers, reportedly boosted hourly earnings by 23% by optimizing routes and timing.

On the retail side, a digital assistant named “Mai” has been adopted by half of Grab’s single-store merchant base, helping drive a 15% increase in sales for those users.

Beyond software, Grab is testing the physical limits of its tech. In April, the company transitioned its autonomous vehicle trials into full paying public operations in a Singapore residential estate. Its “Ai.R” fleet has clocked over 40,000 kilometers, though Tan noted that autonomous disruption of human driver networks remains a distant prospect.

The company’s financial services arm also showed momentum, with loan disbursements jumping 67% to surpass $1 billion for the first time.

Management said regulatory headwinds are centered on Indonesia’s new cap on ride share commissions. Announced last week, the change limits the commissions companies like Grab can charge drivers to 8%, down from 20%. While the company believes this will affect only a small portion of its drivers, Chief Operating Officer Alex Hungate said Grab was in talks with regulators to see how the change will be implemented.

“It’s essential, we believe, that together with regulators, we shape a balanced implementation of this decree, so that our Indonesian mobility marketplace remains healthy and that driver-partners’ earnings remain well supported,” Hungate said.

Grab announced last month that it plans to launch AI-powered robots “very soon” to help delivery drivers pick up meal orders from restaurants faster.

“Our drivers lose around 10% of their earning time looking for a restaurant in a mall or waiting for their customers to come down from office towers,” Tan said in a speech at Grab’s annual product event. “If this little fellow can help handle that ‘wait’ by finding the restaurant and passing the order to the driver, it allows our drivers to move to the next job more quickly.”