Grab OpenAI Program to Train 3,000 Thai Gig Workers on AI

The Grab OpenAI partnership has reached Thailand. Grab, Southeast Asia’s biggest everyday-services app, announced on Wednesday that it will work with OpenAI to teach AI skills to 3,000 drivers, sellers and other providers in the country. The plan was revealed by CEO Anthony Tan at CNN’s Global Perspectives event in Bangkok.

Workers Will Take the Training Through the Grab Driver App

The Thai launch is called “GO Forward with AI.” According to CNN’s report, the training will be delivered as practical workshops through the Grab Driver App, so workers can take part without leaving the platform they already use for work.

NewsBytes says the topics include customer engagement and retention, marketing and branding, personal finance and first aid. The training is also meant to help participants use more advanced AI features, such as delegating multi-step tasks, building simple websites and creating repeatable workflows. Grab says two core training modules were developed with OpenAI.

Thailand Is One Step in a 30,000-Worker Regional Plan

Thailand is one piece of a wider program. Grab and OpenAI aim to train more than 30,000 gig workers and small business owners over two years. It began in Singapore, moved to Thailand, and is expected to reach Indonesia and the Philippines later this year, per the companies’ statements.

AIBase reports that participants will get three free months of ChatGPT Plus during the course. Treat that detail with some caution, since it comes from a secondary report of the regional program, not from the Thai announcement itself.

Grab Says the Goal Is Turning AI Skills Into Higher Earnings

Tan said the goal is to turn upskilling into earnings for workers. That matches Grab’s existing work with OpenAI, which began in 2024. Its in-app Driver AI Assistant has reportedly reached more than half a million drivers, helping them find demand, boost earnings and answer everyday questions.

OpenAI’s Asia Pacific managing director, Kiran Mani, said people need skills and confidence as well as access to AI. Thailand is already a heavy user: Thai media report it ranks among the top 20 countries for ChatGPT and Codex use.

Why it matters

Most AI news focuses on offices, developers and big companies. This program aims at people who spend their days behind a wheel or a shop counter, and it uses an app they already open every day. If workers see real income gains, it could become a model for other gig platforms.

What’s missing is evidence. Neither company has shared how success will be measured or whether earnings will change, so the 3,000-worker target is the only concrete number so far.