One Uber ride. One conversation. And one unexpected download that turned a regular morning into a moment of pure possibility.
Western Cape, South Africa (28 March 2025) – Sometimes, all it takes is a traffic jam, a curious question, and a kind heart to change the course of someone’s day… or even their life.
Dean McCoubrey was on his way to work, taking an Uber like many of us do. His driver, Mike, struck up a conversation, and what unfolded in those few kilometres was nothing short of inspiring. They didn’t just talk about the weather or the price of petrol, they spoke about what it means to be human. About the weight of everyday struggles. And about how tough it can be to keep dreams alive when you’re just trying to make it through the day.
Mike shared that he had ideas… goals even. But they felt far away. A side hustle to earn a little more. Keeping his car reliable so he could keep working. And, one day, buying a home. Big dreams, wrapped in everyday challenges.
As they sat in gridlocked traffic, Dean did something simple but powerful. He asked Mike to download ChatGPT.
“He had never heard of it,” Dean explained in a LinkedIn post.
“I demo’d it—‘side hustle ideas while waiting between Uber rides’, and ‘top 10 maintenance tips for a Honda BR-V’ and ‘what small steps do I take to afford my first house’… all the things we had chatted about.”
Mike’s reaction? Pure joy. The kind of grin that can’t be faked. He burst into laughter – cackling, even – as the answers rolled in. Then Dean translated a few responses into Shona, and that’s when Mike really lit up. More laughter. More joy. In that moment, something shifted.
“AI indeed has A LOT of shadow side in the wrong hands,” Dean added, “but we have a responsibility to point it towards the light, one person at a time.”
And that’s what this was. A digital version of a Random Act of Kindness. A spark of possibility, shared for free. A moment of levelling the playing field.
Dean, who teaches the next generation about the responsible use of tech through his company Humaine, says this is just something he now does, offering up AI tools and a little guidance to anyone who might benefit.
“It’s actually kinda fun to see the glee of most people when they grasp what’s now possible.”
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the talk around artificial intelligence but stories like this remind us: technology is a tool. It becomes powerful, beautifully powerful, when placed in the hands of someone who simply wants to help.
Mike may have just been giving someone a lift to work that morning… but thanks to a stranger’s kindness and a little curiosity, he was handed something far greater: the keys to new possibilities.
And that’s the magic of being human.
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