Uber Eats has introduced a new AI-powered feature called “Cart Assistant,” designed to simplify and expedite grocery shopping through its app, with the beta version now available to users.
To utilize the Cart Assistant, users begin by searching for a grocery store within the Uber Eats app and then tapping the purple Cart Assistant icon located on the store’s page. This action initiates the chatbot, allowing customers to either type out their grocery list or upload an image of it.
The image-upload feature is versatile, accepting not only typed lists but also handwritten notes and screenshots of recipes or ingredient lists. Once the list is uploaded or typed in, Cart Assistant automatically populates the user’s basket with the required items, streamlining the shopping process.
After the basket is generated, users have the flexibility to modify their selections. They can swap out items for preferred brands or add other products available from the same store, allowing for a tailored shopping experience. Uber Eats highlights that Cart Assistant uses a customer’s past orders to prioritize familiar items, such as regular milk or favorite oatmeal, thereby personalizing the experience further.
“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. “Cart Assistant helps you get from idea to checkout in seconds.”
The introduction of Cart Assistant positions Uber Eats competitively against other delivery and grocery apps that are also integrating AI chatbots into their services. For instance, Instacart introduced an AI search tool powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2023, while DoorDash was reported to be testing an AI chatbot called DashAI the same year.
Last year saw both Uber Eats and DoorDash integrating with ChatGPT to enhance their food ordering processes. In the United States, users of Uber Eats can now browse local restaurants and menus directly within ChatGPT and then proceed to complete their purchases in the Uber Eats app. Similarly, DoorDash users can request meal plans and have the necessary ingredients automatically added to their cart, reflecting a broader industry trend towards leveraging AI for streamlined customer experiences.
