Uber Eats announced that it launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool called Cart Assistant.
It said the tool allows users to build full grocery baskets “in seconds” using text or image prompts. Chief technology officer Praveen Neppalli Naga wrote in a blog post announcing the tool that Uber Eats designed Cart Assistant to help users “build grocery baskets faster and with less effort. That means fewer taps and more time saved.”
In the blog post, Naga noted that users had been telling Uber Eats they wanted a quicker way to shop. Uber Eats is among the last-mile delivery platforms — along with Instacart and DoorDash — to increasingly partner with retailers.
“Cart Assistant reflects how we think about AI at Uber: starting with real customer needs and building practical solutions within the app,” Naga said separately in a statement. “By grounding these features in real user behavior, we can build tools that feel helpful and intuitive.”
On the grocery front, Uber Eats also partners with leading grocery-chain operators in the U.S.:
- Kroger (No. 6 overall in the Top 2000 Database and first in the dedicated Food & Beverage category. It also has expanded its work with both Instacart and DoorDash.)
- Albertsons (No. 18 in the Top 2000, which added to its loyalty programs and recently launched its own AI tools.)
- Aldi (which also offers storefronts through Instacart.)
Meanwhile, Amazon has been expanding its fulfillment network to support grocery deliveries to more rural areas in the U.S. These retailers and technology companies, among others, continue to battle for an increased share of U.S. online grocery sales. Those sales reached $128.6 billion in 2025, Digital Commerce 360 previously reported. That marked about 23.2% year-over-year growth over 2024, when they totaled $104.4 billion.
About Uber Eats’ new tool, Cart Assistant
Naga wrote in the blog post that users can search for a grocery store on the home screen of the Uber Eats app. From there, users tap the Cart Assistant icon on the storefront and begin shopping.
They can type their shopping list or add an image of it, and the Cart Assistant’s AI will add what it detects to users’ online shopping carts.
“Cart Assistant will automatically take availability into account and show store-level details like item prices and applicable promotions,” Naga wrote. “You can then edit the basket however you choose, swapping out selections or adding additional items from the store. This is the beta version of Cart Assistant, and an early step in how we’re solving practical problems with agentic AI on Uber Eats, focused on areas we can make the biggest difference.”
Uber Eats demonstrates how its Cart Assistant, an AI tool, can process a handwritten shopping list, using it to begin a digital cart. | Image credit: Uber Eats press release
Naga added that the Cart Assistant’s AI will build on an Uber Eats user’s previous orders to prioritize familiar items. That could mean automatically adding a user’s preferred brand of milk or oatmeal to make the experience faster and more personalized, he said.
The company said that like other generative AI tools, Cart Assistant may make mistakes. As a result, Uber Eats said, it has built it to allow consumers to check, edit and confirm their shopping carts before placing an order.
Uber Eats said it is launching its Cart Assistant AI tool in beta across dozens of grocery-chain operators including:
- Albertsons
- Aldi
- CVS
- Kroger
- Safeway
- Sprouts
- Walgreens
- Wegmans
It plans to add more retailers and capabilities — such as recipe inspiration and meal planning — soon, according to the company.
In Uber’s fiscal Q4 2025, it reported that “delivery gross bookings” through Uber Eats increased 26% year over year. Uber Eats’ gross bookings surpassed a $100 billion annual run rate for the first time, the company said.
Do you rank in our databases?
Submit your data and we’ll see where you fit in our next ranking update.
Sign up
Stay on top of the latest developments in the online retail industry. Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 Retail News. Follow us on LinkedIn, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and YouTube. Be the first to know when Digital Commerce 360 publishes news content.
FavoriteThe post Uber Eats launches Cart Assistant, AI tool for grocery shopping appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.
from Digital Commerce 360 https://ift.tt/eQscG7a
0 Comments