Passengers Can Now Book Rail Tickets & Make Payments Using Conversational Voice Commands: Here's How The New Feature Works

Integrated with CoRover’s BharatGPT, a sovereign AI-powered virtual assistant, the system offers a multilingual experience with voice inputs in Hindi, Gujarati, and other languages.

This new feature is integrated into AskDISHA, IRCTC's AI-powered virtual assistant.

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The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), and CoRover introduced a new voice-enabled UPI payment system at the Global Fintech Fest 2024 in Mumbai. This innovative feature, known as Conversational Voice Payments, allows users to complete transactions using voice commands or by typing their UPI ID or mobile number. The system simplifies the process by automatically fetching the UPI ID linked to the provided mobile number and initiating a payment request through the user’s default UPI app.

How Does Conversational Voice Payments Work?

This new feature is integrated into AskDISHA, IRCTC's AI-powered virtual assistant, adding a new way how users can book tickets and make payments. The launch marks a significant milestone in the evolution of AI-driven digital payments, offering a more intuitive and user-friendly booking experience.

This technology is claimed to be the first of its kind, enabling UPI payments to merchants via voice commands, making digital transactions faster, more human-centric, and accessible to a broader audience. Integrated with CoRover’s BharatGPT, a sovereign AI-powered virtual assistant, the system offers a multilingual experience with voice inputs in Hindi, Gujarati, and other languages, thereby breaking down language barriers. It also supports alternative payment methods like credit/debit cards, net banking, and wallets, enhancing user flexibility.

NPCI's Chief Technology Officer, Vishal Anand Kanvaty, expressed his excitement about the launch, highlighting its potential to cater to all citizens and enhance digital payments. "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. 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," Kanvaty said.

Sanjay Kumar Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of IRCTC, emphasised the system’s unique voice payment feature, saying, "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, spoke about the natural evolution of technology towards conversational interfaces. "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" Sabharwal explained.