As part of its commitment to promoting electric vehicles (EVs) in ride-hailing and delivery services, Uber intends to introduce an AI-powered assistant to address driver queries about EVs. This initiative, scheduled to roll out in early 2025 in the U.S., will be backed by OpenAI’s GPT-4o technology.

Initially, the virtual assistant will exclusively field questions pertaining to EVs, such as charging locations or purchasing advice. However, Uber foresees the assistant’s capabilities expanding to encompass other areas in the future, a company representative stated.

During its Go-Get event in London, Uber unveiled its collaboration with OpenAI’s latest model – a tool noted for its human-like conversation skills and ability to reason across text, audio, and visual inputs.

Accessible via the Uber driver app’s home screen, the AI assistant will be regularly updated with new information. It will also offer personalized responses, tailored to the driver’s needs, their location, and any local government incentives available.

According to an Uber representative, drivers will eventually have the option to engage with the chatbot verbally, in addition to text-based interactions. The chatbot will also have the capacity to audibly reply to driver inquiries.

Although it’s not yet clear which languages will be supported by the AI assistant, Uber expects to provide more information closer to launch. OpenAI claims that GPT-4o can support over 50 languages.

In conjunction with the AI assistant launch, Uber will initiate an “EV mentorship program”. This will allow experienced, high-rated EV drivers to earn monetary rewards and other perks for guiding drivers interested in learning more about EV ownership.

Uber integrated its AI announcement with other EV and climate-centric news at the Go-Get event. The event highlighted Uber’s efforts to facilitate the choice of EVs for both drivers and riders.

Uber’s “Green” service, which allows riders to choose hybrid or EV rides in over 180 markets, will now offer an EV-only option in 40 cities, with more to follow. Initial cities include New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Paris, Auckland, among others. Riders can also set their preference to match with EVs when one is in proximity, using the Uber app.