Grab superapp gets smarter with 13 AI enhancements

The new tools target consumers, travellers, and merchant-partners across Southeast Asia.

Grab unveiled 13 AI-powered features at its GrabX 2026 product showcase in Jakarta, aimed at enhancing its superapp to function as an “everyday guide” for users across Southeast Asia.

Philipp Kandal, chief product officer at Grab, said the company is focused on deploying AI to support consumers, merchants, and driver-partners in managing daily tasks and improving efficiency.

The newly launched features, announced on 8 April, are grouped into three areas, namely, local life, travel, and business operations.

For consumers, Grab introduced Group Ride, which allows up to four users to share a vehicle with coordinated pickups and split payments with fares calculated based on distance, traffic conditions, and travel time. The company said users can save up to 40% compared to riding alone on similar routes.

Another feature, Grab More, allows users to order from multiple nearby merchants within a single delivery without additional fees with orders synchronised by AI to arrive at the same time.

Grab also rolled out the Grab AI Assistant, which provides recommendations for food, dining, and shopping based on user inputs such as preferences and dietary restrictions. The assistant includes a shopping function that can generate a cart from photos, voice notes, or text inputs.

GrabMaps for Consumers adds trip planning capabilities, including travel comparisons, parking availability, EV charger locations, and indoor navigation within buildings. The system integrates with users’ calendars and trip history.

In financial services, Cash Loan offers in-app lending using AI-based underwriting and first-party data, allowing eligible users to customise repayment plans and receive loan decisions within seconds.

For travel, Grab introduced a Personalised Travel Experience, which consolidates flight information, reminders, and airport navigation tools and includes alerts for check-in, gate changes, and travel requirements.

The company also launched GrabStays, a hotel booking service developed with Nuitee Travel, offering same-day rates and integration with Grab’s payment and transport services.

Discover by Grab provides user-generated food recommendations, whilst GrabPay for Travel enables cross-border QR code payments using stored debit or credit cards without requiring separate e-wallet top-ups.

For merchant- and driver-partners, Grab introduced several operational tools including the Virtual Store Manager, which uses AI-powered computer vision on existing CCTV systems to monitor store activity.

The feature can monitor operational factors including hygiene, staffing, and foot traffic, and sends alerts to business owners.

Cloud Printer automates order processing by printing orders directly in kitchens and syncing preparation workflows. It can also pause store operations automatically if inactivity is detected.

Tap to Pay allows merchants to accept contactless payments through their smartphones without additional hardware.

Meanwhile, Driver AI Assistant provides voice-enabled support for drivers, offering real-time guidance on operations and platform policies.

Grab said the features are supported by its “Grab Intelligence Layer,” an AI infrastructure built on data from more than 20 billion rides and transactions.

The company also reported that its Early Access Programme has grown to 200,000 users, contributing around 4,000 feature improvements since its launch. A new “shake and share” function has been introduced to allow users to submit feedback directly through the app.

Grab said the rollout of the new features will vary by market and is subject to regulatory approvals and partner readiness.