OpenAI has inked a deal to provide its artificial intelligence (AI) technology to ride-sharing operator Grab and help build tools customized for the Singapore-based company's operations. 

Touted as OpenAI's first such partnership in Southeast Asia, the collaboration will also see Grab employees access ChatGPT Enterprise in a pilot rollout, according to a joint statement released on Thursday. Grab will deploy the generative AI tool to select employees in the pilot as part of its efforts to use AI tools to improve productivity.

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Grab provides a range of services via its app, including food and grocery delivery, parcel delivery, rides, fintech and payment services, and telemedicine. It operates in eight Southeast Asian markets including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Under the partnership, the company will tap OpenAI's visual AI capabilities to incorporate more automation and pull higher quality data from visual images to improve its maps. 

These efforts will enable Grab to update GrabMaps faster and provide a better experience for customers and drivers in its ride-sharing partner network, according to the two companies.

Grab will also explore how the company can leverage AI to offer customer support chatbots that better understand and resolve issues.

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In addition, Grab will use AI-powered text and voice capabilities to enhance the accessibility of its services, including for visually impaired and elderly users who may face difficulties navigating its app on the screen.

"[We] believe generative AI has a lot of potential to further transform the way we solve problems for our partners and users," Grab chief product officer Philipp Kandal said in a statement. "Our goal with any new technology has always been to use it to solve real problems, at scale."

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