NPCI, IRCTC, and CoRover Launch Voice-Activated UPI Payments for Railway Ticket Booking

NPCI, IRCTC, and CoRover launch conversational voice payment system for UPI

With the new conversational payments, customers can now complete transactions by using their voice or typing their UPI ID or mobile number. The feature is built with Payment Gateway's APIs alongside CoRover's voice-enabled generative AI model BharatGPT, which supports voice-inputs in Hindi, Gujarati, and other languages.The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and homegrown artificial intelligence startup CoRover on Friday launched conversational voice payment for Unified Payments Interface (UPI) at the Global Fintech Fest 2024. With the new conversational payments, customers can now complete transactions by using their voice or typing their UPI ID or mobile number. "With its integration with payment gateway, this innovative feature marks a major advancement in the ease and accessibility of digital transactions," the companies said in a statement. This makes it the first conversational voice payment system to pay to merchants using UPI, they said, adding that the technology removes language barriers and makes transactions faster, more accessible and more human-centric. The feature is built with Payment Gateway's APIs alongside CoRover's voice-enabled generative AI model BharatGPT, which supports voice-inputs in Hindi, Gujarati, and other languages. Vishal Anand Kanvaty, chief technology officer, NPCI, said the solution addresses both India and Bharat in making payments seamless. "We launched UPI123 last year, but the real use cases have started now," he said, adding that the move will enable scale. UPI 123Pay refers to the solutions that NPCI rolled out for feature phone users to use UPI without internet connectivity. The conversational voice payments system has also been integrated into AskDISHA, the AI virtual assistant for IRCTC and Indian Railways. "The natural way is that we see and talk, so why should technology not talk? In this pursuit, with the help of NPCI and IRCTC, you will now be able to talk to Disha and ask her to get your ticket booked, including payment," said Ankush Sabharwal, chief executive, CoRover AI. Sabharwal added that this was just a start and more features, such as hardware products talking, would also be seen in future. Sanjay Kumar Jain, CMD, IRCTC, said, "As I speak, your payment will not get deducted. You have to speak; you have to raise your voice to get your payment deducted and get the tickets." Users have the flexibility to choose from the other payment methods like credit and debit cards, net banking, and wallets, the statement said. The system automatically retrieves the corresponding UPI ID and initiates a payment request via the user's default UPI app when a mobile number is provided. Further, consumers can also update their mobile number or UPI ID within the transaction time limit, for a more seamless payment experience.

CoRover, IRCTC, NPCI, Launch Conversational Voice Payments for UPI with BharatGPT

When a mobile number is provided, the system automatically retrieves the corresponding UPI ID and initiates the payment request via the user's default UPI app. NPCI, IRCTC, and CoRover have introduced "Conversational Voice Payments" for UPI at the Global Fintech Fest 2023, marking a significant leap in the ease of digital transactions. This new feature, integrated with payment gateways and powered by BharatGPT, allows customers to complete transactions using their voice or by typing their UPI ID or mobile number. When a mobile number is provided, the system automatically retrieves the corresponding UPI ID and initiates the payment request via the user's default UPI app. The feature offers flexibility, enabling users to update their mobile number or UPI ID within the transaction time limit. This groundbreaking technology, the first of its kind for UPI payments, aims to break down language barriers and make transactions more human-centric and accessible. CoRover's voice-enabled BharatGPT enhances the multilingual system, supporting Hindi, Gujarati, and other languages, ensuring inclusivity in the payment process. Vishal Anand Kanvaty, CTO of NPCI, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "I am really excited for this launch because it addresses India and Bharat. Also, I think it helps all the citizens of this country to make the payment very seamless. I am really excited, we launched UPI123 last year, but the real use cases have started now, and I think I am really excited about this one because we will see this scale happening on this." Sanjay Kumar Jain, CMD of IRCTC, added, "As I speak, your payment will not get deducted. You have to speak; you have to raise your voice to get your payment deducted and get the tickets. That's what we are offering." Ankush Sabharwal, Founder and CEO of CoRover.ai, highlighted the natural evolution of technology, saying, "What's the natural way to interact? The natural way is that we see and talk, so why should technology not talk? In this pursuit, with the help of NPCI and IRCTC, you will now be able to talk to Disha and ask her to get your ticket booked, including payment. It is just a start; you will see everything, even hardware products talking." The integration of Conversational Voice Payments into AskDISHA, the AI virtual assistant for IRCTC and Indian Railways, allows users to book tickets and make payments using just their voice. This launch represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of AI, digital payments, and eCommerce, ushering in a more intuitive and convenient booking experience.

UPI Introduces Voice Command Payments, Ticket Booking gets easier

Revolutionizing UPI Transactions: CoRover AI's Conversational Payments on IRCTC Online payments are now getting advanced by voice commands. This means that Indian customers can now complete UPI transactions by using their voice or just by typing their UPI ID or mobile number. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), in collaboration with an AI (Artificial Intelligence) startup, CoRover launched the new payment feature app on Friday, 23 August, at the Global Fintech Fest. This conversational voice payments system has been integrated into AskDISHA, the AI virtual assistant for IRCTC and Indian Railways. Now, a user doesn't need to give input commands for UPI transactions, they will be able to complete their payments by only speaking to the AI-powered solution.