New Delhi: Swiggy has introduced artificial intelligence and robotics in multiple parts of its business, but food delivery by drone is still in the experimental stage, said Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Swiggy’s Food Marketplace.
Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Kapur said the company is using generative AI across its operations, explaining that the technology is becoming increasingly mature and available across various stakeholder groups.
“As AI expands into different aspects of life, it is providing democratized intelligence to all stakeholders,” Kapur said, adding that this extends to the company’s management team, restaurant partners and delivery executives.
“For example, when someone calls customer service, I have the ability through Gen AI to understand the quality of that discussion and can immediately do something about it. This is the power that Gen AI unlocks,” he said.
Kapur said the AI tools will help restaurant partners track their daily performance, such as which dishes are selling and which are not, while delivery partners can receive information about where demand is likely to be high. “There’s something about what happened to the business yesterday that our leadership understands,” he said.
In addition to AI, Swiggy is also using robotics, especially in warehousing operations, Kapur added.
Commenting on the prospects for drone-based food delivery, Kapur said that while he does not discount advances in technology, current use cases in food delivery remain limited. “There may be pilots and experiments going on in different parts, but I wouldn’t say it’s the mainstream of the industry,” he said.
He added that whether broader adoption is possible depends on whether costs come down over time. “There will always be competing resources available to do the same job, and if that curve doesn’t change, hiring will slow down,” Kapur says.
Kapur said he doesn’t think robotics and drone technology is beyond the experimental stage for now. He highlighted the last-mile challenge, saying that drones can reach a certain point, but beyond that they face limitations. “You can go to one place or one location, even in an office complex or a residential society, but you need food at your doorstep,” he said.
“But as things evolve, I’m sure the model will change and change and things will happen,” he added.
