Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

CHINESE ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing announced Wednesday a round of major product upgrades across its fast-growing international markets in Australia, Japan and Latin America, including the industry’s first hands-free driver app interface pilot, new safety features and financial tools for drivers and passengers.

Mobile phone use is a leading cause of distracted driving. Working with Didi’s Japan and Australia teams, scientists at Didi’s AI Labs have developed a hands-free app interface that enables drivers to complete passenger pick-up and route navigation using only voice commands, without needing to touch or focus on their mobile device.

“We are excited to see the benefits of artificial intelligence come to life to solve concrete safety challenges, without compromising the effectiveness of the platform and ability to serve our users,” said Ye Jieping, head of Didi’s AI Labs.

As an industry pioneer, Didi launched this feature in Japan on Wednesday and plans to roll it out in other markets, including Australia, this year.

Zheng Bu, vice president and chief security officer of Didi who also heads Didi’s International Business Technology operations, said at this year’s annual RISE conference in Hong Kong that the new features focus on enhancing platform safety, efficiency and user experience.

“We are seeing tremendous innovation in our international markets, which shows the importance of developing localized solutions for local challenges with the support of global technology,” said Zheng.

“Didi has never taken a cookie-cutter approach. Listen and learn, localize and work closely with the communities and policymakers, this is our philosophy for internationalization,” Zheng said.