Grab unveils 13 AI-powered features to streamline travel across Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia ride-hailing and food-delivering company Grab has launched 13 new AI-driven features at its annual GrabX product showcase, positioning its superapp as an “intelligent everyday guide” for users. The rollout focuses on simplifying travel, daily decision-making, and business operations for millions of consumers, drivers, and merchants.

Speaking at the event in Jakarta, Chief Product Officer Philipp Kandal said the company aims to make AI practical and accessible. “We want Grab to feel like a smart companion that handles everyday tasks — whether that’s choosing a meal, managing a business remotely, or helping drivers operate more efficiently,” he said.

The new features fall into three pillars: everyday convenience, seamless travel, and business empowerment.

Smarter local living

Grab is doubling down on tools that reduce friction in daily routines. A new Group Ride feature allows up to four passengers to share a vehicle with optimized routing and automatic fare splitting, potentially cutting costs by up to 40% compared to solo trips. A “waiting room” function will soon allow riders to coordinate readiness and track the vehicle in real time.

Grab More addresses a common pain point in food delivery by allowing users to order from multiple nearby merchants within a single delivery, without additional fees. AI synchronizes preparation and delivery timing.

The Grab AI Assistant acts as a personal concierge, offering recommendations, making reservations, and even building shopping carts from photos, voice notes, or lists. It integrates user preferences to streamline everyday planning.

Meanwhile, GrabMaps for Consumers expands beyond navigation, offering journey planning with calendar integration, predictive destination suggestions, and comparisons between transport options. It also includes real-time data on parking, EV chargers, and indoor navigation for malls and large venues.

Grab is also introducing Cash Loan, an AI-powered lending tool designed to expand access to credit. Users can receive near-instant loan approvals and customized repayment plans directly within the app.

Enhancing the travel journey

With over 200 million passengers moving through Southeast Asia’s airports annually, Grab is targeting the full travel journey.

The Personalised Travel Experience feature consolidates flight updates, airport navigation, and travel reminders into one interface. Users receive alerts for check-in, gate changes, and documentation, while arrival tools guide them through airports to baggage claim and pickup points.

GrabStays, developed with hotel platform Nuitee, enables last-minute hotel bookings with competitive same-day rates and integrated Grab services, including transport to and from accommodations.

Discover by Grab provides curated, AI-driven food recommendations based on user preferences and community content. Travelers can browse, save, and act on recommendations — booking tables, ordering food, or arranging transport within the same flow.

For payments, GrabPay for Travel allows users to pay via QR codes across Southeast Asia using their existing debit or credit cards stored in the app, eliminating the need for local e-wallets or currency top-ups.

Tools for merchants and drivers

Grab is also extending AI capabilities to its partners, focusing on automation and operational efficiency.

The Virtual Store Manager uses AI-powered computer vision via existing CCTV systems to monitor store operations, including hygiene, staffing, and customer flow. It provides real-time alerts and analytics for multi-location businesses.

A Cloud Printer automates order handling by instantly printing incoming orders in kitchens and triggering pickup notifications via QR code scans. It can also pause store listings if inactivity is detected, reducing missed or delayed orders.

Tap to Pay enables merchants to accept contactless payments directly on their smartphones, removing the need for additional hardware.

For drivers, the Driver AI Assistant offers voice-enabled, real-time support, including guidance on policies, navigation, and communication with passengers, helping improve efficiency and earnings.

Growing user engagement

Grab also highlighted the growth of its Early Access Program, which now includes 200,000 users who test new features and provide feedback. To date, participants have contributed around 4,000 improvements.

A new “shake and share” function allows users to instantly submit feedback by shaking their phones, further integrating user input into product development.

With these updates, Grab is aiming to evolve from a superapp into a comprehensive digital companion — supporting everything from daily errands to cross-border travel and business operations.