Grab and OpenAI Roll Out AI Training for 30,000 Workers Across SE Asia

Grab and OpenAI are launching a regional AI skills programme targeting 30,000 driver, delivery and merchant partners across Southeast Asia. The "GO Forward with AI" initiative, running under GrabAcademy over the next two years, has gone live in Singapore and will expand to Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines later this year.

The programme focuses on practical AI applications rather than theory. Driver and delivery partners will learn to develop business ideas and build simple marketing plans, while merchants get training on using AI to analyse sales data, forecast demand and manage inventory. Participants are also introduced to ChatGPT Work for multi-step tasks like creating dashboards and setting up repeatable workflows, with three months of complimentary ChatGPT Plus access included.

The launch reflects a maturing relationship between the two companies. Since May 2024, Grab and OpenAI have collaborated on the Driver AI Assistant — an OpenAI-powered tool that provides personalised guidance on demand, earnings and day-to-day queries. That tool has reached close to 500,000 drivers. In Singapore alone, 50% of Grab's driver and delivery partners already use AI tools, and 87% of non-users said they are open to adopting them. Among merchant partners, 33% currently use AI at work.

Why it matters for Singapore: Singapore is the launchpad for this programme, signalling the city-state's role as a proving ground for AI workforce development in the region. With the government's SkillsFuture initiatives and the broader push to equip workers with AI literacy, this corporate partnership complements national efforts by targeting gig economy workers — a demographic often left out of formal upskilling programmes. The model, if successful in Singapore, could set the template for AI training at scale across Southeast Asia.