AI Helps Bengaluru Man Haggle Auto Fare in Kannada—Without Speaking a Word of It
AI Helps Bengaluru Man Haggle Auto Fare in Kannada—Without Speaking a Word of It
BENGALURU: Navigating Bengaluru’s auto fares can often feel like a gamble, but one resident found an ingenious way to tip the odds in his favor—by enlisting the help of artificial intelligence. Sajan Mahto, a content creator based in the city, shared a video showing how ChatGPT helped him negotiate a lower fare with an auto driver, despite not knowing Kannada.
The challenge? Could AI step in to bridge a real-life language gap and secure a better deal? In the clip, Sajan uses ChatGPT’s voice assistant to converse with the driver, aiming to bring down the fare from ₹200 to ₹100. He cleverly instructs the AI to adopt the tone of a “respectful elder brother,” ensuring the conversation remained polite and persuasive.
The exchange kicks off with a friendly “Anna, namaskara,” followed by a courteous explanation that Sajan is a student commuting the same route regularly. The chat played out in good spirits: while the driver initially offered ₹150, ChatGPT’s gentle negotiating brought the fare down to ₹120—a win for AI-powered bargaining.
Although the setup was staged for the sake of the video, Sajan emphasized that the intention wasn’t to fool anyone but rather to showcase a creative, light-hearted use of AI in everyday life.
The video quickly went viral, sparking conversations online. Viewers applauded the mix of tech and street smarts, with some joking about testing the method at their local vegetable stalls. While a few questioned whether ChatGPT was more practical than a standard translation app, many agreed it was a clever peek into the potential of AI in social settings.
