Uber Eats launches AI cart assistant for grocery delivery

Uber Eats launches AI cart assistant for grocery delivery


An Uber Eats bag in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Uber Eats is bringing artificial intelligence to your next grocery shopping list.

The ride-hailing company said on Wednesday that its food delivery platform is debuting a new AI assistant that lets customers build a shopping cart using text or images, like handwritten grocery lists.

Uber is offering the feature through dozens of large retailers, including Safeway, Albertsons and Kroger. The tool accounts for item preferences and store availability and allows users to edit selections, the company said.

Cart Assistant reflects how we think about AI at Uber: starting with real customer needs and building practical solutions within the app,” said Praveen Neppalli Naga, Uber’s technology, said in a release. “By grounding these features in real user behavior, we can build tools that feel helpful and intuitive.”

Uber Eats AI assistant.

Courtesy: Uber

Uber and its rivals in food delivery and ride-hailing have been adding more AI features to enhance their platforms for customers and businesses. In July, Uber launched new tools for restaurants, including AI-powered menu descriptions and customer review summaries.

Uber and DoorDash have launched aggressive expansions into grocery delivery, in a direct challenge to Instacart. Both companies started offering the service in 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic. In recent months, Uber has been introducing more partners, including Aldi and FreshDirect. Last week, the company said it added five new stores.

Gross bookings in the delivery business grew 26% from a year earlier to $25.4 billion in the fourth quarter.

WATCH: Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on Q4 results

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on Q4 results: All metrics of the business continue to be very strong



Source

OpenAI’s subtle drift from Microsoft has become an aggressive move toward Amazon
Technology

OpenAI’s subtle drift from Microsoft has become an aggressive move toward Amazon

Avishek Das | Lightrocket | Getty Images OpenAI revenue chief Denise Dresser said the AI company’s agreement on Tuesday to make its models available on Amazon had nothing to do with an announcement a day earlier that the startup had restructured its relationship with Microsoft for a second time in six months. “The two are […]

Read More
Fed day, Starbucks earnings, UAE leaves OPEC and more in Morning Squawk
Technology

Fed day, Starbucks earnings, UAE leaves OPEC and more in Morning Squawk

This is CNBC’s Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox. Happy Wednesday. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of déjà vu reading about Jimmy Kimmel’s return to the White House’s crosshairs. S&P 500 futures are little changed this morning. All three major averages logged a negative session yesterday. Here are five […]

Read More
Is Meta’s AI spending blitz working? The stock’s next move depends on the answer
Technology

Is Meta’s AI spending blitz working? The stock’s next move depends on the answer

Shares of Meta Platforms are recovering from a bruising stretch earlier this year, when investors shied away from the social media giant’s massive investment in artificial intelligence. Wednesday’s earnings will determine whether that rebound will continue. The stakes are high: Meta is in the midst of one of the most aggressive AI buildouts of all […]

Read More