Grab unveils new products powered by AI for merchants, consumers
CEO says the company is moving into ‘hardware’ to tackle issues in the physical world that software cannot fix
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[JAKARTA] Grab launched a slew of new products powered by artificial intelligence (AI) at its annual product showcase called GrabX on Wednesday (Apr 8).
The products launched are focused around consumers, travel and merchants. On the merchant front, the super app platform is launching a Virtual Store Manager, which allows merchants to integrate AI into their CCTV systems.
This will help to monitor store operations, hygiene standards, as well as offer insights into queue lengths, footfall traffic and conversion rates, among others.
Speaking at the event in Jakarta, Grab chief executive officer Anthony Tan said that this is part of the company’s move into hardware to tackle issues in the physical world that software cannot fix.
“We are moving into hardware to improve the messy, physical parts of the job that software alone cannot fix with robots that can interact with and manipulate the environment,” he said.
The use of AI for Grab will be about boosting the productivity of its drivers and riders. Riders waste about 10 per cent of their earning time searching for the restaurant in a big mall or waiting for a customer to come down to pick up their order, Tan noted.
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“If this (robot) can handle that wait by finding the restaurant and then passing the order to the driver, it allows our drivers to move to the next job much more quickly,” he added.
Grab also unveiled a driver AI assistant named Coach, which is built to help with common tasks such as sending a message to a rider while the driver is on the road, as well as giving advice on Grab’s policies.
Over half a million drivers have access to Coach and it will be rolled out to more drivers across all of Grab’s markets, said Tan.
Other products launched for merchants include Cloud Printer, which prints Grab orders in the kitchen as they come, negating the handoff between the front counter and the kitchen.
The kitchen staff can scan the QR code on the order receipt to trigger a pickup when the order is done. The product can also detect if there is no activity within a set time and pauses the merchant’s store on the Grab app.
The company is also expanding its payment services with the new product, Tap to Pay, which converts a smartphone into a contactless payment terminal without any special equipment.
This will be built into the GrabMerchant app and will allow merchants to accept cards or QR payments.
For consumers
On the consumer front, Grab is also expanding its financial services with a Cash Loan product, which will offer an unsecured loan based on the company’s data on the user and underwriting done by its AI. Eligible customers can select a loan amount, set a repayment plan and get a decision about the loan within seconds.
Grab has included an AI assistant in its app which can help consumers arrange for food delivery and purchase groceries from GrabMart, among others. Other consumer products include Group Ride, Grab More and GrabMaps, which all have an AI component.
Group ride can sequence a trip across different endpoints based on traffic conditions and time taken on the route, and the fare will be based on these factors. Grab More allows customers to order from more than one restaurant without extra delivery fees with AI syncing up the orders to arrive at the same time.
GrabMaps can integrate with a user’s calendar to predict estimated time of arrival via various transport options including public transport, as well as navigation to the user’s destination, including indoor navigation.
On the travel front, Grab is launching GrabStays – an initiative with Nuitee, a travel infrastructure player – to offer competitive same-day rates. It is also launching Discover by Grab, where users can contribute content and the AI can recommend places based on what you like.
Grab is contributing to multiple AI foundational models in a bid to make AI work better in South-east Asia, said Tan. The company will pursue AI to create solutions for a better outcome for its drivers, merchants and customers.
“We are in the AI revolution today, and that ending hasn’t been written yet,” he said.
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