China's Didi will begin using AI to monitor if drivers in Latin America wear masks, disinfect cars
- Didi’s ride-hailing drivers in Latin America will soon need to take selfies with their masks on and report their body temperatures before they start work
- The Chinese ride-hailing giant introduced similar measures in its home market earlier this year to keep rides safe amid the coronavirus pandemic
Didi, which is in eight countries across Latin America, Australia and Japan, has introduced the use of such technologies in China since January, when the country started taking measures to stop the spread of the virus.
From May 22, Didi’s ride-hailing drivers in Latin America will need to take a selfie with mask on to pass the AI verification, and from June they will need to report their body temperature to the phone app and upload photos of daily vehicle disinfection works to the phone application.
Drivers who fail to follow the safety requirements may not be permitted to offer ride-hailing services to customers, while passengers will also be required to wear masks when they take Didi’s rides, the company said in a statement.
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Both passengers and drivers can cancel trips if they feel unsafe about hygiene conditions, Didi said.
But they have seen bookings recovering in recent weeks and are launching measures to keep rides safe.
