Uber Eats Introduces AI-Powered Cart Assistant for Automated Grocery Shopping

11.02.2026

Uber Eats has officially launched Cart Assistant, an AI-powered feature designed to streamline grocery cart creation and optimize the shopping experience. The beta version is now accessible within the mobile application.

To leverage this new conversational AI interface, users can navigate to their preferred grocery retailer within the Uber Eats app and activate the Cart Assistant by tapping the purple icon displayed on the merchant's storefront page.

Core Functionality:

The Cart Assistant enables users to input shopping lists through multiple modalities or upload images, including:

• Handwritten grocery lists
• Recipe screenshots with ingredient lists
• Text-based shopping lists

Upon submission, the AI automatically populates the shopping basket with corresponding items. Users maintain full control over their selections, with the ability to substitute products based on brand preferences or append additional items from the retailer's inventory.

The system leverages machine learning algorithms trained on historical purchase data to prioritize frequently ordered items, such as preferred milk brands or regular oatmeal selections, delivering a personalized shopping experience.

"Users were telling us they wanted a quicker way to shop, and we know how precious your time is," stated Praveen Neppalli Naga, Chief Technology Officer at Uber. "Cart Assistant helps you get from idea to checkout in seconds."

Competitive Landscape:

This deployment positions Uber Eats within the growing ecosystem of AI-enhanced grocery and food delivery platforms. Instacart pioneered this space in 2023 with an OpenAI ChatGPT-powered search tool offering personalized recommendations. DoorDash similarly tested DashAI, an experimental chatbot for expedited ordering.

In recent developments, both Uber Eats and DoorDash have integrated with ChatGPT to enhance ordering workflows. The Uber Eats integration allows U.S. users to discover restaurants and browse menus within ChatGPT before completing transactions in the native app. DoorDash's implementation supports meal planning with automated ingredient cart population.

Previous reports from 2023 indicated Uber Eats was developing an AI chatbot capable of processing budget constraints and dietary preferences to facilitate order placement.

Broader AI Strategy:

Beyond consumer-facing features, Uber Eats is deploying AI solutions for merchant partners, including:

• AI-generated menu descriptions
• Enhanced food photography through computational imaging
• Automated customer review summarization

These initiatives underscore Uber's commitment to AI-driven innovation across its platform ecosystem.

Sources:
Uber Newsroom - Cart Assistant Announcement
Uber Newsroom - Merchant AI Tools

Tags: machine learning e-commerce AI assistant Uber Grocery Tech

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