30,000 Uber workers gain ChatGPT Work access as ride-share firm scales OpenAI partnership globally

Uber has expanded access to ChatGPT Work for all 30,000 employees globally, marking a significant shift in its internal technology strategy. According to OpenAI, this rollout allows teams to utilize the enterprise-focused AI agent for research, data analysis, and complex workflow automation. The move follows a limited pilot program earlier this year.

The risk

Uber stated it has not settled on exactly how employees will use the tool. Sumanth Sukumar, Uber’s VP of engineering, told TechCrunch that the approach is to make powerful AI tools available while giving teams room to experiment. The company plans to track how employees use the technology and the kinds of workflows they develop.

Who is exposed

The entire global workforce of approximately 30,000 people is now eligible to use the platform. According to TechCrunch, the initial pilot included workers from finance, operations, and product departments. About 80 percent of those early adopters were non-engineers, according to statements from Uber’s VP of engineering.

Cost and compliance

Uber did not disclose the financial cost of this expanded rollout. Sumanth Sukumar stated that the company will evaluate outcomes based on how effectively the technology helps employees work. The firm plans to use these insights to guide future AI deployment decisions across the business, according to TechCrunch.

What should you do?

Managers should monitor how employees are using the technology and the kinds of workflows they develop. Teams should evaluate outcomes to see how the tool helps them work more effectively. The company will use what it learns to guide how it deploys AI across the business, according to Uber’s VP of engineering.

The background in plain language

Enterprise AI agents are software tools designed to help employees complete complex tasks automatically. Unlike consumer chatbots, these systems integrate with company data to assist with specific workflows like analysis or reporting. Teams usually start with small pilot groups to test safety and utility before wider adoption. This approach allows organizations to identify risks and refine usage guidelines without disrupting entire departments.

Background: AI agents

AI agents are software systems that perceive their environment, make decisions, and execute actions to achieve specific goals. Unlike standard models, they maintain internal state and interact with external tools, creating unique security risks around tool execution, memory retention, and autonomous decision loops that require specialized controls.

Read the full guide: AI Agents Explained: Answers to Security and Architecture Questions

What to do and how to stay safe: Uber

• Monitor how employees are using the technology and the kinds of workflows they develop.
• Evaluate outcomes to determine how the tool helps teams work more effectively.
• Use the data collected from usage to guide how AI is deployed across the business.
• Give teams room to experiment while maintaining oversight of the tools provided.

Step-by-step guide: AI Governance Explained: Building Rules for Autonomous Systems

General security guidance from the Vector Tribune newsroom. It is not confirmed advice from the organisations named in this story.

Frequently asked questions

How many employees received access during the initial pilot?

According to TechCrunch, Uber originally piloted ChatGPT Work with 1,000 employees earlier this year before expanding to the full workforce.

What percentage of pilot participants were non-engineers?

About 80 percent of the early adopters in the pilot program were non-engineers, according to statements from Uber’s VP of engineering to TechCrunch.

Did Uber disclose the cost of the ChatGPT Work rollout?

No, Uber did not disclose how much it is spending on the new rollout of the chatbot, according to the reporting by TechCrunch.