If you’re missing even more AI integration in your life, and you’re a Bolt customer, you’re in luck. The ride-sharing service has announced the global rollout of ChatGPT support for its services. ‘Global’, in this case, includes South Africa.
There’s no real sign that this is something locals are after. South Africans are reportedly fairly high adopters of AI, but Bolt is typically seen as a low-cost alternative to Uber. There may not be as much intersection between the ride-sharing platform’s users and ChatGPT locally. Still, it’s there if you need it.
Artificial Bolt
At the moment, the entire process still takes place in the Bolt app. The ride is booked and payment made via the company’s platform. But you don’t need to open it to complete the usual process. Instead, if you’ve downloaded a specific ChatGPT plugin, you can ask OpenAI’s platform to perform the few basic actions you’d normally complete yourself.
According to the platform, “customers can interact with Bolt directly inside ChatGPT, where they can receive an upfront fare estimate, compare route options, check their driver’s estimated arrival time, and identify the most convenient pickup location, helping reduce waiting times.” You know, the same stuff that’s all easily achieved by just… opening the app.
Currently, Bolt’s payments will continue to be processed on its own systems. In future, though, there are “plans to introduce the ability for users to pay for rides directly within ChatGPT.” Whether you’re fine with giving Sam Altman‘s company that much access to your finances is up to you, but that’s certainly where ChatGPT is attempting to go.
How this benefits Bolt in the long run remains to be seen. It sounds like a handy way to make your own services superfluous, at the very least. Still, the company probably thinks it knows what it’s doing.
