Snap, Shop, Done: Uber Launches AI Cart Assistant for Groceries

Uber is turning the tedious task of online grocery shopping into a snap-your-fingers affair with a new AI feature that can scan your handwritten shopping list and fill your cart in seconds.

The ride-hailing and delivery giant announced Wednesday the launch of Cart Assistant, an AI-powered tool now available in the Uber Eats app that promises to shave minutes off grocery ordering by letting customers build their carts using simple text commands or photos.

To use this feature, shoppers search for a participating grocery store in the Uber Eats app and tap a purple Cart Assistant icon to get started. From there, they can either type out what they need or upload an image.

The AI then automatically populates the shopping cart, factoring in store inventory, prices, and current promotions. It also learns from previous orders, prioritizing familiar brands like a customer’s usual milk or go-to oatmeal.

“Users were telling us that they wanted a quicker way to shop, and we know how precious your time is,” wrote Praveen Neppalli Naga, Uber’s chief technology officer. “Cart Assistant helps you get from idea to checkout in seconds.”

Shoppers aren’t locked into the AI’s choices, though. The tool allows users to swap items, delete selections, or manually add anything the assistant missed. Cart Assistant is live at dozens of major grocery chains, including Safeway and Kroger. Uber says more retailers will be added in the coming months.

Uber’s broader AI push

Cart Assistant is not Uber’s first AI rollout. Over the past year, the company has added AI-generated menu descriptions, AI-enhanced food images, and automated review summaries for restaurants.

The company has also partnered with OpenAI to integrate Uber Eats into ChatGPT, though Uber spokesperson Richard Foord declined to specify whether OpenAI’s technology powers the new shopping assistant. “Cart Assistant draws on publicly available LLM models as well as Uber’s own AI stack,” Foord said in an email to The Verge.

The grocery expansion comes as delivery companies compete more aggressively in the online grocery market. Uber and DoorDash both expanded into grocery delivery during the pandemic and have continued to grow those offerings. According to CNBC, Uber’s delivery business posted strong gains recently, with gross bookings rising 26% year over year to $25.4 billion in the fourth quarter.

The addition of an AI shopping assistant suggests Uber is betting that smarter personalization and fewer taps to checkout could drive more frequent grocery orders.

Also read: The best AI detectors in 2026 highlight how fast trust-and-verification tools are evolving alongside generative AI.

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