Latest news with #SAVH
Independent Singapore
24-05-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Grab's AI Centre of Excellence to drive innovation and inclusivity in SEA and create 50 high-value roles for locals
SINGAPORE: Grab announced the launch of its first Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence (AI COE) on Friday (May 23), supported by the Digital Industry Singapore (DISG), to speed up AI-driven solutions across Southeast Asia. The centre, located at Tower B of GrabHQ@One-North, will focus on improving accessibility, boosting productivity and growth, and contributing to smart nation building in the region. It is also expected to create at least 50 high-value roles in product innovation, engineering, data science, and analytics this year. These roles will allow Singaporeans to work on AI solutions that address regional challenges and could be scaled globally. According to The Edge Singapore , Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong attended the launch event, along with Grab co-founder and group CEO Anthony Tan, president and COO Alex Hungate, and CTO Suthen Thomas. One of the key innovations showcased at the launch was a voice assistant feature that allows visually impaired users to book Grab rides through voice commands. The feature was built in collaboration with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH). See also It's Glowtime! What to expect from Apple's iPhone 16 'glow up' The tool uses OpenAI models that Grab fine-tuned to make the speech-to-text model work better for locals. The team used around 80,000 Singaporean voice samples and names of points of interest, boosting the tool's accuracy in recognising local accents and building names from 46% to 89%. Grab said it will launch a voice donation feature in June, letting Singapore users share voice samples to help make the Voice Assistant more intuitive and inclusive. Grab also introduced its Driver AI Companion for drivers to get real-time tips on booking spots, efficient routes, and reward programmes based on driving patterns, and a Merchant AI Assistant to provide support for small businesses to grow both online and offline. Mr Suthen Thomas said, 'With over 1,000 AI models powering our platform, we've seen firsthand how we can leverage AI to improve lives. Recent advancements in AI hold the promise to transform how we interact with technology, foster innovation, and bridge digital divides.' Philbert Gomez, Executive Director and Head of Digital Industry Singapore, added, 'The establishment of Grab's AI Centre of Excellence underscores Singapore's vision to be the world's most AI-driven economy.' /TISG Read also: Grab Singapore eyes self-driving cars to 'fill the gaps' in less popular locations
Business Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Grab launches its first Centre of Excellence to support AI solutions
[SINGAPORE] Grab launched its first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre of Excellence on Friday (May 23). Supported by the Digital Industry Singapore, the centre will work on projects to utilise AI solutions to impact three key areas: accessibility, productivity and growth, and smart-nation capabilities across South-east Asia. The centre is also set to generate at least 50 new high-value roles by 2025. These will range across areas such as product engineering, data science and analytics. The launch of Grab's AI Centre of Excellence was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, who said that the government aims to help companies develop capabilities to administer AI solutions at scale. 'By supporting companies like Grab to establish AI Centres of Excellence, we want to catalyse the development and deployment of AI-driven applications that can drive greater value for both people and businesses,' he said. Suthen Paradatheth, chief technology officer of Grab, said that the Centre's aim is not solely cost reduction – rather, its success will be measured by the impact and opportunities Grab creates in solving problems, and providing users and merchants the leverage to solve their issues as well. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up For instance, he noted that AI solutions can shorten the time needed for the completion of tasks from days to mere seconds, 'giving people time back to focus on things that are really important'. 'We look at it from the perspective of the customer; (the metrics of impact) can range from adoption to net promoter score – is the project something that adds value for the customer?' said Paradatheth. Ultimately, he said that the Centre's focus is on 'expanding the impact that is possible with large language models'. Applying AI solutions Some of the AI projects that Grab has worked on include a collaboration with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) to develop a feature to allow users with visual impairments to book Grab rides through voice commands. Currently, this voice-assistant feature is accessible to members of SAVH. Such initiatives set 'a new benchmark for inclusivity in transport and digital services', said Lyn Loh, head of accessibility services in SAVH. The speech-to-text feature, which is built on OpenAI models, used around 80,000 local voice samples to boost its recognition accuracy of Singaporean accents to 89 per cent, from 46 per cent. In June, the app will house a voice-donation feature allowing users to contribute voice samples to help make the voice-assistant feature 'more intuitive and inclusive'. This will aid the AI model in better detecting building and road names. Grab has also engineered solutions such as the AI Driver Companion and the AI Merchant Assistant bot. The former aids Grab drivers throughout their day by recommending optimal areas to pick up customers, ensuring an efficient distribution of drivers islandwide. The latter, already rolled out to the majority of merchants in Singapore, provides tailored operational insights and advice to individual merchants.
Zawya
05-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Lifeline Cleaning Brings Festive Cheer to the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) with Free Professional Cleaning
SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 5 February 2025 - Lifeline Cleaning, a leading cleaning service provider in Singapore, is pleased to announce its latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative in support of the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH). As part of the Chinese New Year celebrations, Lifeline Cleaning hosted a Chinese New Year get-together event at SAVH facilities. The initiative aims to enhance the environment for the visually impaired community and promote inclusivity. Lifeline Cleaning continues to support CSR efforts focused on providing assistance to underserved groups such as the visually impaired. 'At Lifeline Cleaning, we believe in creating positive change in the lives of those who need it most. Our collaboration with SAVH for Chinese New Year allows us to honour the festive season while contributing to a cleaner, healthier, and more joyful environment for the visually impaired community,' said Roy Tan, Business Development (Corporate Accounts), Lifeline Cleaning. What the CSR Initiative Involves As part of this initiative, Lifeline Cleaning has: Distributed Ang Baos to celebrate the Chinese New Year tradition of sharing blessings and bringing festive cheer to SAVH members. Organised a breakfast-sharing session to foster community connection and celebrate the festive season together. Provided cakes and pastries for the members to bring back, spreading more festive joy and delicious treats. This initiative highlighted Lifeline Cleaning's efforts to supporting vulnerable members of the community through various outreach activities. In addition to the 45 visually impaired elderly beneficiaries from the daycare group, SAVH staff, including some who are partially blind, also joined to usher in the Chinese New Year. Meanwhile, SAVH's massages for corporate groups and the "Dine in the Dark" event present opportunities for corporate companies, including Lifeline Cleaning, to engage with and support the community. Lifeline Cleaning's Ongoing CSR Commitment Lifeline Cleaning has incorporated corporate social responsibility as a core element of its operations. Previous initiatives have involved collaborations with organisations supporting the elderly, visually impaired, and other underserved groups. Through these efforts, Lifeline Cleaning continues to contribute to the local community while offering professional cleaning services that promote a clean and safe environment for those in need. The company is also exploring the provision of disinfection services and ad hoc cleaning at SAVH. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand its CSR initiatives to additional non-profit organisations, leveraging its expertise to create safe, hygienic, and inclusive environments for underserved communities. Hashtag: #LifelineCleaning #CSRInitiative #SupportingCommunities #CleaningServices The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Lifeline Cleaning Lifeline Cleaning is a trusted cleaning company in Singapore, offering professional cleaning solutions for commercial and residential spaces. Committed to excellence, the company provides high-quality disinfection services tailored to meet the varied needs of its clients. In addition to its services, Lifeline Cleaning actively contributes to the community through meaningful CSR initiatives. For more information on their efforts, visit their website: Lifeline Cleaning
