Free AI training and ChatGPT subscriptions for Grab platform workers, merchants to build business ideas

Around 50 female drivers and delivery riders attending the first workshop organised by Grab and OpenAI, as part of a two-year programme that seeks to impart practical AI skills to gig workers and merchants.

PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Published Sep 23, 2026, 07:45 PM

Updated Sep 23, 2026, 07:45 PM

SINGAPORE – After six years of working as a taxi driver, Putri Aziella is ready to call it quits in November when her contract ends and dedicate more time to her true passion – baking cakes, cookies, rolls and brownies.

Having started selling her bakes through TikTok earlier this year, she hopes to expand her reach by creating a website and a visually appealing menu – but such tasks have always felt out of reach without technical skills.

Such barriers could become less of a concern for Aziella, with artificial intelligence helping her overcome some of them.

She is among the first batch of Grab driver-partners, delivery riders and merchants in Singapore to attend the GO Forward with AI workshop, part of a training programme created by Grab and OpenAI to teach practical AI skills.

The two-year programme was launched here on Sept 23 and will be expanded to include over 30,000 gig workers and merchants across South-East Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

In Singapore, participants will be able to sign up for free half-day workshops, where they will pick up skills such as creating product designs, building functional websites and gauging demand for business ideas – just by using prompts in natural language without the need for coding.

After the workshop, participants will also receive a free three-month subscription to ChatGPT Plus, a premium version of the AI tool that gives users access to smarter AI models, higher prompt limits and the ability to create working products without coding knowledge.

“Creating my own menu, and doing price research – these are head-cracking tasks that will take me hours or months without AI,” said Aziella, who added that she will be tapping the technology to come up with packaging ideas and strategies to market to customers in different age groups.

The inaugural workshop taught by a solutions engineer from OpenAI was held on Sept 23 and attended by 50 female drivers and delivery riders.

Participants were shown how to use ChatGPT in multiple languages via the voice-to-text function, as well as how to gauge demand for different product ideas.

For instance, ChatGPT’s response to a query on whether to sell custom animal pins or ice cream in Singapore could include statistics on the number of stores selling animal pins on e-commerce platform Etsy, plus information on the regulations that ice-cream sellers must comply with.

Participants were also shown how to use built-in tools to create a realistic mock-up of an animal pin based on a rough drawing, build a functional website to showcase products and simulate how different price points could affect their earnings.

Such practical skills can help drivers, delivery riders and merchants stay relevant and pursue new opportunities as the world changes, said Grab’s chief organisational capability officer Ong Chin Yin at the launch event at Grab@Tampines, the company’s driver centre.

Women made up the inaugural batch as they had shown strong interest in learning AI but were unsure about avenues to do so, said Ong.

She added that AI reduces the barrier to entry for starting a business, which traditionally requires upfront capital expenditure and human manpower.

Putri Aziella, a part-time taxi driver and baker in her 50s, is among the inaugural batch of participants to attend Grab and OpenAI’s new training programme, which was launched on Sept 23. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

Putri Aziella, a part-time taxi driver and baker in her 50s, is among the inaugural batch of participants to attend Grab and OpenAI’s new training programme, which was launched on Sept 23.

“Underpinning this (new programme) is our collaboration with the Government, connecting these efforts to Singapore’s broader push to make AI work for our people,” said Ong.

Helping workers upskill and supporting companies in redesigning jobs are among the key priorities of the Government, amid an AI-driven disruption that is reshaping in-demand skills by automating job functions such as writing and coding.

In the transport sector, for instance, with the gradual introduction of AI-powered autonomous vehicles (AV) in Singapore, taxi and private-hire drivers have been encouraged to take part in career conversion programmes and training schemes to assume new roles such as AV safety operators.

Minister of State for Manpower and Trade and Industry Foo Cexiang, who attended the launch event on Sept 23, acknowledged concerns about whether the benefits of AI will be shared by all.

“We cannot have AI that only creates opportunities for a small group of technological experts,” said Foo.

“It needs to be able to support workers, Singaporeans from all walks of life, for us to become more productive, capable and confident to pursue our aspirations.”

He added that the Government will work with companies, tech firms and unions to achieve this goal.

Sarah Koh is a journalist on the technology beat at The Straits Times. She takes an interest in the development of consumer tech and the impact of AI on society.

AI/artificial intelligence

约 50 名女性司机和外卖骑手参加了由 Grab 和 OpenAI 联合举办的首届研讨会，这是为期两年的计划的一部分，旨在向零工人员和商家传授实用的 AI 技能。

图片来源：联合早报

发布于 2026 年 9 月 23 日晚上 7:45

更新于2026年9月23日晚上7:45

新加坡——在做了六年出租车司机之后，普特里·阿齐拉准备在11月合同到期后辞职，并将更多的时间投入到她真正的爱好——烘焙蛋糕、饼干、面包卷和布朗尼蛋糕。

今年早些时候，她开始通过 TikTok 出售自己的烘焙食品，她希望通过创建一个网站和一个视觉上吸引人的菜单来扩大她的业务范围——但如果没有技术技能，这些任务对她来说总是遥不可及的。

人工智能可以帮助 Aziella 克服一些障碍，这些障碍对她来说可能不再那么令人担忧。

她是新加坡首批参加“GO Forward with AI”研讨会的Grab司机合作伙伴、送货员和商家之一，该研讨会是Grab和OpenAI共同创建的培训计划的一部分，旨在教授实用的人工智能技能。

这项为期两年的计划于 9 月 23 日在此启动，并将扩大到东南亚地区，涵盖印度尼西亚、马来西亚、菲律宾、泰国和越南等地的 3 万多名零工工作者和商家。

在新加坡，参与者可以报名参加免费的半日工作坊，学习创建产品设计、构建功能性网站和评估商业理念需求等技能——只需使用自然语言提示，无需编码。

研讨会结束后，参与者还将获得 ChatGPT Plus 三个月的免费订阅，ChatGPT Plus 是该 AI 工具的高级版本，使用户能够访问更智能的 AI 模型、更高的提示限制，并且无需编码知识即可创建可用的产品。

“创建自己的菜单，进行价格调查——这些都是令人头疼的任务，如果没有人工智能，我需要花费数小时甚至数月的时间，”阿齐拉说道。她还补充说，她将利用这项技术来提出包装创意和针对不同年龄段客户的营销策略。

由 OpenAI 的解决方案工程师主讲的首届研讨会于 9 月 23 日举行，50 名女性司机和送货员参加了此次研讨会。

参与者们学习了如何通过语音转文字功能在多种语言中使用 ChatGPT，以及如何评估不同产品创意的需求。

例如，ChatGPT 对“在新加坡是销售定制动物胸针还是冰淇淋”这一问题的回答可以包括在电子商务平台 Etsy 上销售动物胸针的商店数量统计数据，以及冰淇淋销售商必须遵守的法规信息。

参与者还学习了如何使用内置工具根据草图创建逼真的动物胸针模型，构建功能齐全的网站来展示产品，并模拟不同的价格点如何影响他们的收入。

Grab首席组织能力官王振寅在公司司机中心Grab@Tampines的发布会上表示，这些实用技能可以帮助司机、送货员和商家在世界变化之际保持竞争力并寻求新的机遇。

Ong表示，首批学员均为女性，因为她们对学习人工智能表现出浓厚的兴趣，但不确定学习的途径。

她补充说，人工智能降低了创业的门槛，而传统上创业需要前期资本支出和人力资源。

50多岁的兼职出租车司机兼面包师普特里·阿齐拉(Putri Aziella)是首批参加Grab和OpenAI联合推出的全新培训项目的学员之一，该项目于9月23日启动。图片来源：联合早报

50多岁的兼职出租车司机兼面包师普特里·阿齐拉是参加Grab和OpenAI于9月23日启动的新培训计划的首批学员之一。

“这项（新计划）的基础是我们与政府的合作，将这些努力与新加坡让人工智能为人民服务的更广泛努力联系起来，”翁说。

在人工智能驱动的变革正在重塑市场需求技能的背景下，政府的重点优先事项包括帮助劳动者提升技能和支持企业重新设计工作岗位，因为人工智能正在通过自动化写作和编程等工作职能来改变市场需求。

例如，在交通运输领域，随着新加坡逐步引入人工智能驱动的自动驾驶汽车（AV），出租车和私召车司机被鼓励参加职业转型计划和培训计划，以承担自动驾驶汽车安全操作员等新角色。

人力部兼贸易及工业部政务部长傅策祥于9月23日出席了启动仪式，他承认人们对人工智能的益处是否能惠及所有人表示担忧。

“我们不能让人工智能只为一小群技术专家创造机会，”Foo说道。

“它需要能够支持各行各业的新加坡工人，让我们变得更有生产力、更有能力、更有信心去追求我们的抱负。”

他还补充说，政府将与企业、科技公司和工会合作，实现这一目标。

Sarah Koh是《海峡时报》的科技记者。她关注消费科技的发展以及人工智能对社会的影响。

人工智能