If you thought your Uber Eats grocery order would escape the grasp of AI, think again.
The delivery app announced a new AI feature, “Cart Assistant,” on Wednesday, designed to fill customers’ grocery carts faster and easier. The beta version is now live in the app, providing shoppers with a built-in chatbot to expedite their grocery runs. To use it, customers search for a grocery store in the Uber Eats app and tap the purple Cart Assistant icon on the store’s page. From there, users can type a list or upload an image. The tool can read handwritten notes, recipe screenshots, and ingredient lists, then automatically add those items to the cart. After that, shoppers can swap brands, remove products, or add more items before checkout.
Uber Eats says Cart Assistant also pulls from past orders. That means it can prioritize familiar products, like your usual milk or go-to oatmeal, to create a more personalized experience.
“Users were telling us they wanted a quicker way to shop, and we know how precious your time is,” Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga said in a statement. “Cart Assistant helps you get from idea to checkout in seconds.”
The launch comes as grocery and delivery platforms lean further into AI. Instacart introduced an AI-powered search tool backed by OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2023. DoorDash has also tested AI features and integrated ChatGPT to help users plan meals and build carts faster.
Uber Eats has been expanding its AI efforts across the board, including tools for merchants such as AI-generated menu descriptions, enhanced food images, and summaries of customer reviews.
