Ride-hailing drivers can spend months or years learning the best ways to make money. Now, there's artificial intelligence for that.
Lyft has been rolling out over the past year Earnings Assistant, a AI tool that gives drivers tips on where and when to drive. It shows how the company hopes to use AI to help drivers earn more in an industry where they're paid per trip.
The tool has two features. One, called plan guidance, gives drivers advice on where to go to increase their chances of claiming rides, especially if they're planning to work on the app for a limited time. The option, available to drivers in the US, is meant to help new drivers find productive areas and times to work, a Lyft senior staff software engineer, Xiaoyi Duan, told Business Insider.
Another feature, called real-time guidance, pinpoints where Lyft customers need rides. Lyft is still testing this feature, which is live in most cities.
"Drivers want to earn more, and they see various signals in the app, but those signals are not tailored to drivers' personalized needs," Duan said.
