As Uber continues to work to bring more electric vehicles to its ride-hailing and delivery platform, it believes it will be helpful to provide drivers with a chatbot that can answer all their EV-related questions. Starting in early 2025, Uber will launch an AI assistant for drivers in the U.S. powered by OpenAI's GPT-4o.
At launch, the assistant will only answer questions about electric cars, such as where to charge and which one to buy, an Uber spokesperson said, but the integration could expand to other use cases in the future. That's what it means.
Uber announced integration with OpenAI's new flagship model, capable of human-like conversation and reasoning across text, voice, and vision, at its Go-Get event in London on Tuesday.
Drivers will be able to access the AI assistant from the home screen of the Uber Driver app, and the chatbot will be continuously updated with new information. Uber says it can also provide personalized answers based on a driver's needs, the city they live in and available government incentives.
An Uber spokesperson told TechCrunch that drivers will eventually be able to speak directly to the chatbot, rather than just sending text-based questions, and the chatbot will be able to respond to driver questions with voice. He said it would happen.
It's unclear in which languages the AI assistant will be available. Uber will share details about supported languages closer to launch. According to OpenAI, GPT-4o can support over 50 languages.
The rollout of Uber's AI assistant will be linked to its EV Mentorship Program, in which highly rated drivers with experience driving EVs will receive cash rewards if they act as mentors to drivers who want to learn more about EVs. and other incentives. The experience of owning an EV.
Uber's OpenAI announcement was grouped together with other EV and climate change-focused news at the Go-Get event. The focus of this year's showcase was on climate, with Uber revealing several new features and updates to make it easier for riders and drivers to choose EVs.
For example, Uber Green Services, the ride-hailing and delivery giant, offers riders the choice of hybrid or EV in more than 180 markets, with more to come with an EV-only option in 40 cities. First cities include New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Paris, Oakland, and more. Riders can also set preferences in the Uber app to be matched with an EV when it's nearby.