Uber is continuing its push to bring more electric vehicles onto the ride-hail and delivery platform, and it thinks giving drivers a chatbot to answer all their EV questions will help. Starting 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 vehicles, like where to charge them or which one to buy, but the integration will potentially span into other use cases in the future, according to an Uber spokesperson.
Uber announced the integration with OpenAI’s new flagship model — which is capable of having human-like conversations and reasoning across text, audio, and vision — during 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’ll also be able to provide personalized answers based on the 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, in addition to sending text-based questions, and that the chatbot will be able to audibly respond to driver queries.
It’s not clear in what languages the AI assistant will be available; Uber plans to share more details on supported languages closer to launch. OpenAI says GPT-4o can support over 50 languages.
Uber’s AI assistant rollout will be coupled with an “EV mentorship program,” where highly rated drivers who have experience driving an EV can earn cash rewards and other incentives if they take on the mantle of being a mentor for drivers who want to learn more about the experience of owning an EV.
Uber’s OpenAI announcement was lumped in with other EV and climate-focused news at the Go-Get event. The focus of the showcase this year was on climate, and Uber revealed a handful of new features and updates that make it easier for riders and drivers to choose EVs.
For example, the ride-hail and delivery giant’s Uber Green offering, where riders can choose to ride in a hybrid or an EV in over 180 markets, will now feature an EV-only option in 40 cities, with more to come. The first cities include New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Paris, Auckland, and more. Riders can also set their preference in the Uber app to get matched with EVs when one is nearby.
