Grab is making a new foray into digital marketing with the pilot of its Driver AI Ambassador program in the Philippines. The initiative re-imagines the traditional brand ambassador model by using Artificial Intelligence to scale and iterate content featuring real driver-partners.
By integrating AI as a force multiplier, Grab amplifies authentic driver-partner narratives and brand stories with unprecedented efficiency, allowing the platform to produce high volumes of factual and educational storytelling assets from a single human-led session.
“The Driver AI Ambassador Program is designed to reimagine impact, shifting it from traditional content creators to the people who live the brand every day: our driver-partners. AI is enabled, but the stories, voices and truth come from them,” said Jewel Oliveros, Head of Integrated Marketing Services and Brand Marketing of Grab Philippines.
The program is geared towards translating genuine driver-partner narratives into publishable content with fewer constraints around time, cost and production bandwidth, which is historically accomplished by traditional content production. Under the pilot, driver-partners provide key story content, including interviews, recorded voices, photos and personal anecdotes about safety, family, community and their livelihood and experience at Grab, which are then adapted into multiple formats such as short-form videos and social properties using AI tools. Content remains based on actual inputs provided by participating driver-partners.
One of the leading participants of the event, PWD GrabFood delivery-partner Patrick Pidlawan Duque, said being featured gives him the opportunity to share his story and increase visibility for delivery-partners. “'Yun po kasi kahit pano po makakatulong rin po sa akin. Yung makapagkwento ka sa mga social media,” Duque said. “'Paging AI Models for Grab PO Needs Some Time, Time to Use Ma-Expose for IBA. At Para Makatulong Din Po Sa Aming Pamilya.' This AI-enabled manufacturer model offers a competitive compensation package, with driver-partners treated as ambassadors with industry-standard remuneration. This effectively creates an additional income source for driver-partners who join the program.
The pilot includes strong governance measures to address concerns about the ethical application of the use of generic AI in marketing. Participation is based on informed consent, in which driver-partners are told how their stories, voices and likenesses may be used. Driver-partner participants also have a guaranteed right to opt out at any stage of the process. The program integrates human oversight into the workflow to preserve creative nuances and prevent misrepresentations. Additionally, all AI-enabled outputs feature mandatory disclosures to ensure complete transparency for the audience.
Aligning with global and ethical standards for AI application in communications
The Grab Driver AI Ambassador Program aligns with the Venice Pledge: Responsible AI guiding principles for PR and communications, established by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, which calls for AI practices that are ethical, transparent and human-centered.
“We made sure we followed international standards for AI-enabled communications because we want to make sure we do the right thing by our driver-partner ambassadors,” Oliveros said. “Our goal is to ensure that AI serves as an enabling scale tool for completely human-first, factual stories.”
Ana Pista, director of the Global Alliance and president of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), said the pilot can serve as a case study for the industry. “As we drive this technological transformation, our commitment to placing human dignity at the center of innovation aligns with our global mission,” Pista said. “This program shows that when we prioritize professional integrity and the sanctity of consent and transparency, technologies like AI can enhance human connections.”
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