DoorDash has launched SafeChat+, an AI-driven feature aimed at curbing verbal abuse and harassment on its platform.

The initiative is designed to safeguard both customers and delivery drivers, ensuring a respectful and safe communication environment.

When SafeChat+ identifies potentially inappropriate interactions, it empowers drivers with the option to cancel orders without affecting their ratings.

The feature also terminates any further chat if an inappropriate conversation occurs post-delivery.

Customers who encounter inappropriate behaviour from drivers have the option to contact DoorDash support for assistance.

DoorDash stated: “Our trust and safety team will investigate all incidents identified by the new tool and take appropriate actions to enforce our policies, which strictly prohibit any verbal abuse or harassment.”

Despite the high safety record of DoorDash, with "more than 99.9%" of deliveries described as being incident-free, the platform acknowledges that verbal abuse is the most prevalent safety-related issue.

SafeChat+ addresses this by scanning more than 1,400 messages per minute, searching for indicators of improper communication.

The AI tool is equipped to handle languages including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin.

“DoorDash takes privacy extremely seriously and that’s why the new feature does not access any personal information and only looks at the content of the message to identify inappropriate, abusive or harassing language,” the company's statement went on.

In December 2023, DoorDash collaborated with ParTech, a subsidiary of PAR Technology, to integrate DoorDash with PAR's Brink POS software and MENU Link, enhancing the omnichannel ordering experience.

In the same month, the food delivery platform along with Uber Eats revealed plans to stop pre-delivery tip requests, WSYX ABC 6 has reported.

The platforms planned to delay tip prompts until deliveries have been successfully fulfilled, removing the necessity for customers to offer tips for quicker service.