Uber wants to use AI to guide drivers through the onboarding process

Uber director of product Jairam Ranganathan says the ride-hailing company is exploring the use of artificial intelligence to create an assistive onboarding guide for prospective drivers. "Right now, a lot of this is done through documentation, things that we write, things that we send to them, but we would love to have a much more high-touch experience where people can actually talk to somebody and guide them through the process," Ranganathan said. "To do that effectively, we believe we need AI to really drive that forward, so that's one area where we definitely want to invest in going forward." He noted that Uber is already using image recognition to scan drivers' licenses and the documents necessary to onboard a new driver. Ranganathan spoke onstage today during the second day of Transform, an AI-focused event held by VentureBeat in Mill Valley, California.