Swiggy expands use of AI and robotics; drone delivery yet to move beyond trials

New Delhi: Swiggy is deploying artificial intelligence and robotics across multiple parts of its business, though drone-based food delivery remains at an experimental stage, according to Rohit Kapoor, CEO of Swiggy’s Food Marketplace.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Kapoor said the company is using generative AI across its operations, describing the technology as increasingly mature and accessible across different stakeholder groups.

“As AI expands into various aspects of life, it is providing democratised intelligence to all stakeholders,” Kapoor said, adding that this spans the company’s leadership, restaurant partners and delivery executives.

“For example, somebody calls customer service, and I have the ability through Gen AI to understand the quality of that discussion, and I can do something about it immediately. That's a power that Gen AI is unleashing,” he said.

Kapoor noted that AI tools help restaurant partners track daily performance, including which dishes are selling and which are not, while delivery partners receive inputs on where demand is likely to be higher. “It has something for our leadership to understand what happened to the business yesterday,” he said.
Alongside AI, Swiggy is also using robotics, particularly within its warehousing operations, Kapoor added.

On the prospects of drone-based food delivery, Kapoor said that while he does not discount technological progress, current use cases in food delivery remain limited. “There could be some pilots and experiments going on in different parts. But I won't say that it's mainstream in the business,” he said.

He added that wider adoption would depend on costs reducing over time. “There's always a competing resource which can do the same job. And if that curve doesn't change, then the adoption is slower,” Kapoor said.

Kapoor said he does not see robotics and drone technology as having moved beyond the experimental phase so far. Highlighting last-mile challenges, he said drones can reach a fixed location but face limitations beyond that. “Even in an office complex or a residential society, it can go to one place or one position, but you need your food at your doorstep,” he said.

“But I'm sure that as things evolve, models change, they transform, things happen,” he added.