OpenAI and Grab have launched GO Forward with AI, a regional skilling programme aimed at giving practical AI skills to 30,000 of Grab’s driver-, delivery- and merchant-partners across Southeast Asia over two years.
Programme design and activities
The initiative begins in Singapore and will expand to Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines later this year, with Malaysia and Vietnam scheduled for 2027. Organisers said the programme combines half-day, in-person workshops with local adaptation of the OpenAI Academy curriculum and training for GrabAcademy trainers so the content can be delivered more widely.
Workshops will guide participants through practical uses of ChatGPT and agentic features such as ChatGPT Work. Examples cited include exploring business ideas, analysing sales patterns, planning promotions, creating simple websites and turning sales data into dashboards. Participants are expected to review AI outputs and make implementation decisions themselves.
Adoption and background
OpenAI and Grab have worked together since 2024 on products including Driver AI Assistant, which the companies say has reached close to 500,000 drivers. A Grab survey in Singapore found that half of driver and delivery partners reported using AI tools, while 87% of those who did not use them said they were open to trying; ChatGPT was the most familiar tool.
At the launch event, speakers included Minister of State Foo Cexiang, OpenAI’s Managing Director, International Oliver Jay, and Grab’s Chief Organisational Capability Officer Ong Chin Yin. Ong Chin Yin said the programme aims to give partners practical guidance and build confidence in applying AI to work and business goals. Oliver Jay described the effort as part of OpenAI’s local commitment to make AI accessible and useful. Grab driver-partner Suhada Abdullah said the workshops helped move ideas from concept to action and had supported exploration of new income streams.
The organisers said GO Forward with AI builds on existing tools and is intended to help merchants and platform workers carry out tasks they might not have teams to handle. The programme will run over two years and target 30,000 Grab partners, starting in Singapore and rolling out to other Southeast Asian markets on the timeline announced above.
Original source: OpenAI News