Dive Brief:
- Uber announced on Wednesday the launch of Cart Assistant, a new AI feature designed to serve as a personal shopper for full grocery orders.
- The AI tool is currently available on the Uber Eats app at dozens of grocers, including Albertsons, Aldi, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market and Wegmans, with more to come, per the announcement.
- E-commerce and tech providers like Uber and Instacart are continuing to build out AI capabilities that can give grocers a lift as they look to innovate.
Dive Insight:
Uber’s new Cart Assistant capability comes as consumers increasingly lean on AI to plan their grocery shopping runs, compare prices and find new recipes.
The in-app feature allows shoppers to build full grocery baskets using simple text or image prompts, rather than having to scroll through digital aisles. Consumers can upload photos of handwritten meal plans or screenshots of recipes and Cart Assistant will generate a shopping list using the information. Users can also type in simple dishes to have the system create a shopping list.
Cart Assistant will also, over time, learn users’ “usuals,” showing shoppers their preferred brands and favorite items, and will take into account store-level details like availability, prices and promotions, per the press release.
Shoppers can also edit their baskets, swap brands, add items and review their orders within Cart Assistant, Uber noted.
“Cart Assistant reflects how we think about AI at Uber: starting with real customer needs and building practical solutions within the app,” Praveen Neppalli Naga, Uber’s chief technology officer, said in a statement. “By grounding these features in real user behavior, we can build tools that feel helpful and intuitive. We’re excited to continue developing this approach as we bring more agentic services into the Uber and Uber Eats platforms.”
The launch of Cart Assistant is the latest consumer-facing AI feature from Uber in recent years. In late 2023, the company announced plans to add a virtual sales aisle and an AI-powered conversational tool to help with meal planning, grocery ordering and finding sales to the Uber Eats platform.
Last October, Uber, along with Instacart, DoorDash and 11 other partners, announced plans to integrate with ChatGPT.
