Bengaluru man uses ChatGPT to bargain auto fare like an elder brother - without knowing Kannada. Even the driver was impressed

Generally, auto drivers are known for being elusive when you need them most. But in Bengaluru, they are famed for quoting fares that feel more like auction bids than meter readings. But in a city where language barriers often come in the way of fair negotiations, one man found a hilariously brilliant workaround, by enlisting OpenAI’s ChatGPT to do the talking. And not just any talking. He made it speak Kannada like a respectful elder brother.

Sajan Mahto, a content creator based in Bengaluru, recently shared a video where he set out to test if artificial intelligence could help bridge the language gap, and save him a few bucks in the process. Armed with ChatGPT's voice assistant, he initiated the experiment saying that getting an auto in Bengaluru is like finding hidden treasure. But, as he pointed out, the fare too is priced like one. So he decided to hand over the reins to ChatGPT and see if the AI could haggle for him.

In the video, Sajan asks ChatGPT to convince the auto driver to lower the fare from Rs 200 to Rs 100, explaining that he's a student and takes the same route every day. His one instruction? Talk to the driver nicely, just like an elder brother would.


And ChatGPT delivered with flair.

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A post shared by Sajan Mahto (@sajanmahto.ai)

It kicked off the negotiation with a warm Kannada greeting, “Anna, namaskara”, and went on to explain Sajan’s situation, asking if the fare could be reduced. After some back and forth, the driver budged to Rs 150, and eventually settled at Rs 120. The AI gracefully accepted the offer and thanked him with a charming “Thank you, Anna.”

While the clip had the internet cheering the tech-savvy street smarts, Sajan was quick to clarify in the caption that the scenario was staged. The intent was not to prank or misrepresent, but to demonstrate how ChatGPT can be creatively used for translation and real-life communication challenges.

Social media had a field day with the video. While many praised the creativity and dubbed it the real use of AI, others joked about applying the trick with shopkeepers next. A few offered practical advice, recommending Google Translate over heavy AI tools, but the spirit of the hack won out.