DoorDash monitors abusive interactions with AI

DoorDash is using artificial intelligence (AI) to detect drivers or customers who conduct inappropriate in-app conversations.

The on-demand delivery platform is rolling out a new feature on its app called SafeChat+ which utilizes AI to review in-app conversations to detect and prevent verbal abuse or harassment. If SafeChat+ detects an inappropriate or abusive conversation between a consumer and driver, delivery personnel will be given the option to quickly cancel the order without impacting ratings. 

If the order is already completed, the feature will automatically end any further chat to help prevent the situation from escalating. If a driver uses inappropriate or abusive language with a customer during a delivery, the customer can reach out to support via chat or phone to report the incident and receive assistance.

The DoorDash trust & safety team will investigate all incidents identified by the new tool and take appropriate actions to enforce the company’s policies, which prohibit any verbal abuse or harassment.

This new feature will address verbal abuse or harassment, which DoorDash says is the most common safety incident during its deliveries, and is now rolled out to all in-app chats between consumers and delivery personnel.

SafeChat+ is reviewing more than 1,400 messages a minute with speed and at scale for signals of inappropriate communications. The feature covers dozens of languages including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin.

The new feature does not have access to any personal user information and only looks at the content of the message to identify inappropriate, abusive or harassing language.

DoorDash is building upon a number of driver safety features it launched in November 2022. These included SafeDash Check-In, which detects that a delivery is taking longer than expected and automatically checks in to see if the driver is okay; as well as Real-Time Safety Alerts, which lets DoorDash quickly alert drivers, customers and retailers about emergency incidents and suspend operations near the impacted area. 

In addition, a previous SafeChat feature detected inappropriate or offensive language in a chat on the DoorDash app and warned the person who sent the message and allowed drivers receiving unsafe messages to unassign from the delivery without any penalty. 

Drivers also have the ability to report customers who make them feel unsafe and block future deliveries made through the DoorDash platform to that customer in the future, and DoorDash will send a notification to customers asking them to turn their porch or house lights on as the driver is approaching. 

Founded in 2013, DoorDash operates in more than 25 countries across the globe.