CHINA BRIEF | Ride-hailing giant Didi to roll out ‘Health-Guard’ feature in Latin America

Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing is planning to expand its “Health-Guard” initiative to Latin America. First introduced in January in China to curb the spread of coronavirus, the program uses AI to check mask-wearing, daily vehicle disinfection, and drivers’ temperatures, according to a company press release.

Didi says the in-app program will ask drivers to take a selfie of themselves wearing masks before they log on starting May 22 and report their temperatures as well. Unlike the China version however, which constantly video-monitors drivers, the Latin America rollout does not use in-car cameras—which Didi does not utilize in the region—to assess using AI whether they are wearing their masks properly.

The company’s services now cover six countries across Latin America, including Panama, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica.

This article is part of KrASIA’s “China Brief” section, where KrASIA’s reporters will provide quick daily updates about the tech ecosystem in China.