Grab, a prominent super-app in Southeast Asia, has adopted generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and agentic AI to introduce new functionalities as part of their expansion strategy.
According to the firm, these additional capabilities aim to attract new customers and boost sales across different products for current clients.
Secure a project revenue growth of 19-22% year-over-year this year, reaching between US$3.33-3.40 billion.
In 2024, Grab reported a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of $10.4 billion within the Southeast Asian food delivery sector, which had an overall valuation of $129 billion. Specifically, in Thailand, the company commanded a 46% share of the local market’s GMV, totaling $4.2 billion for the previous year.
“Grab incorporates cutting-edge technology for large language models [LLM] and agentic AI to tackle genuine issues and meet the actual requirements of our users,” said Group CEO Anthony Tan during a GrabX event held yesterday in Singapore. He emphasized their “AI-First with Heart” approach, which places AI at the heart of everything they do but never loses focus on whom they’re serving. The event highlighted the firm’s recent advancements in products.
According to him, AI acts as a transformative factor for Grab’s associates, clientele, and operators, enabling the company to expand tenfold using the same amount of resources.
“As digital adoption increases among Southeast Asians for their day-to-day requirements, we aim to broaden Grab’s significance in their everyday experiences. This collection of new offerings has been crafted to accomplish this goal, promoting expansion and reinforcing our bond with the communities we support,” stated Mr. Tan.
One of the highlights from Grab’s showcase at the event was their introduction of the “Grab for Family | Teens” feature aimed at providing a secure and dependable option for teens between the ages of 13 and 17 to travel alone. This service will roll out across all their regions come May.
With their teens account linked to existing Grab for Family accounts, teenagers will be able to book rides independently or have rides booked by their parents.
The solution is designed with extra safety features built in to protect them, such as an “Always-on AudioProtect” feature, which will soon be able to utilise GenAI to detect in real-time if there is anything dangerous happening in a car, so Grab can intervene immediately.
Mr. Tan stated that they utilize LLMs to analyze real-time audio along with emotional cues like cries for assistance. By leveraging AI, they aim to innovate responses tailored to individual needs, allowing for immediate intervention rather than merely ensuring safety through license plate surveillance.
Philipp Kandal, who leads products at Grab, mentioned that the focus of these new releases is expanding chances for users to engage with Grab services across various times of the day.
Products and technologies represent growth strategies to enable clients to use Grab’s services and also acquire new users in the company’s ecosystem, said Mr Kandal.
The “Grab for Family | Teens” feature is expected to assist the firm in targeting young adults, he mentioned.
Grab also introduced “GrabFood for One,” which has been launched and can be accessed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
This service enhances meal options for individuals eating alone by providing budget-friendly dishes without a required minimum order amount, accompanied by a modest flat-rate delivery charge.
Mr Kandal added that Grab also uses agentic AI solutions to help merchant and driver partners. The AI Merchant Assistant and AI Driver Companion were developed with AI research organisations OpenAI and Anthropic, drawing on their latest foundational models.
The AI Merchant Assistant is a chatbot driven by LLM technology embedded in the GrabMerchant application. It offers personalized guidance and assistance to merchants, aiding them with various aspects of their businesses like boosting sales, launching advertising campaigns, and updating menu items.
Soon, it will also suggest financing solutions tailored to individual merchants, including loan products.
The AI Driver Companion features two new AI-powered solutions integrated within the Grab Driver app to help drivers be more efficient and productive.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
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