Grab and OpenAI launch AI training for 30,000 Southeast Asian partners
Grab and OpenAI have launched GO Forward with AI, a two-year regional skilling programme intended to help 30,000 Grab driver-, delivery- and merchant-partners across Southeast Asia build practical AI skills for their work and businesses. The programme begins in Singapore and is scheduled to expand to Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines later in 2026, followed by Malaysia and Vietnam in 2027.
The companies will run half-day, in-person workshops in the coming months. Based on the OpenAI Academy curriculum and adapted for partners in each country, the sessions will focus on tasks participants encounter in their own work, from testing a business idea to planning stock, promotions and demand changes.
From AI interest to workplace use
Grab said that half of its driver and delivery partners in Singapore already use AI tools. Among people who do not use them, 87% said they were open to trying them. ChatGPT was the tool participants knew best, while many respondents said they wanted to grow an existing business or explore starting one.
The workshops are designed around those decisions. A driver or delivery partner could use ChatGPT to examine an idea, identify ways to differentiate it and outline a route to launch. Merchants could use the tool to identify sales patterns, develop promotions or prepare for shifts in demand.
Participants will also work with ChatGPT Work on larger assignments. OpenAI and Grab cited turning sales data into a dashboard, building a simple website and developing an expansion plan as examples. The programme emphasises that participants should review the output and make the subsequent decisions themselves.
Building on existing Grab AI tools
Grab and OpenAI have worked together since 2024 on products including Grab’s Driver AI Assistant. Powered by OpenAI models, the assistant helps drivers find demand, use their time and obtain answers to everyday questions. It has reached close to 500,000 drivers, the companies said.
GO Forward with AI extends that work by giving partners time and guidance to apply AI to personal commercial goals. The Singapore launch also forms part of OpenAI for Singapore, alongside OpenAI for Singapore Applied AI Lab and its focus on putting AI into use with local partners.
Regional delivery and business relevance
OpenAI and Grab plan to train GrabAcademy trainers so that the programme can reach more partners over time. As workshops move beyond Singapore, the companies say their content will be shaped around local needs and the type of work participants perform.
The practical implication for businesses is that access to an AI tool is only one part of adoption. Training that uses real sales, planning and operational tasks can help workers assess outputs and decide where AI is useful in their own processes.