# Uber Eats Unveils AI Cart Builder for Instant Grocery Lists
Uber Eats has launched a groundbreaking AI Cart Assistant, revolutionizing grocery shopping by allowing users to build instant shopping carts from simple text prompts or uploaded images, including handwritten lists. Announced on Wednesday, this feature integrates seamlessly into the app, considering user preferences and real-time store availability to streamline the entire process from list to checkout.[1][3]
How the AI Cart Builder Transforms Grocery Shopping
The AI Cart Builder, officially dubbed the AI Cart Assistant, lets customers snap a photo of their grocery list or type in items, instantly populating a structured cart ready for purchase. Uber emphasizes practical AI integration, with the tool rolling out across major retailers like Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger, making it accessible for everyday shoppers seeking speed and convenience.[1][2]
Praveen Neppalli Naga, in a company release, highlighted the user-centric design: "Cart Assistant reflects how we think about AI at Uber: starting with real customer needs and building practical solutions within the app." This approach ensures adjustments are easy before finalizing orders, reducing friction in the growing grocery delivery market.[1]
As grocery delivery surges—Uber's delivery gross bookings hit $25.4 billion in Q4, up 26% year-over-year—the AI tool positions Uber Eats as a leader in agentic commerce, where AI handles complex tasks like personalization and availability checks.[1]
Uber's Broader Push into AI-Powered Delivery Innovations
This launch builds on Uber's expanding AI ecosystem, following July's rollout of AI-generated menu descriptions and automated customer review summaries for restaurants. These tools enhance discovery, with 78% of merchants reporting AI effectiveness in operations.[1][5]
Partnerships are deepening too: Kroger plans fuller Uber Eats integration in 2026, including loyalty benefits and delivery tracking, while competitors like Instacart deploy similar cart assistants at Sprouts Farmers Market. Uber's strategy focuses on embedding AI natively, differentiating from standalone apps by prioritizing intuitive, in-app experiences.[2]
Competitive Landscape and Future of AI in Grocery Delivery
Amid rivals like Instacart's Cart Assistant for meal planning and budgeting, Uber Eats stands out by supporting image inputs and tying into its vast delivery network. Albertsons eyes expansions like budget optimization and voice integration, signaling industry-wide adoption of AI agents for smarter shopper journeys.[2]
Uber's moves align with trends in applied AI, prioritizing user behavior data for measurable UX gains over experimental tech. As grocery delivery scales, expect more cross-platform integrations, potentially reshaping how consumers shop without leaving their apps.[1][2]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Uber Eats' AI Cart Builder?
The **AI Cart Builder**, or AI Cart Assistant, is a new feature that creates grocery carts from text prompts or images like handwritten lists, factoring in preferences and stock availability.[1][3]
Which retailers support the AI Cart Assistant?
It's rolling out with partners including **Safeway**, **Albertsons**, and **Kroger**, with broader availability planned.[1][2]
How does the AI Cart Builder use images or text?
Users upload photos or enter text; the AI translates them into selectable cart items, allowing edits before checkout.[1]
Is this Uber's first AI feature for grocery shopping?
No, it follows restaurant-focused AI like menu descriptions and review summaries, expanding into groceries.[1][5]
When was the AI Cart Builder announced?
Uber announced it on Wednesday, marking a key step in its grocery delivery expansion.[1][3]
What benefits does it offer shoppers and merchants?
Shoppers get faster, personalized lists; merchants benefit from Uber's AI tools like review insights, boosting efficiency.[1][5]
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 9:20:31 PM
**WASHINGTON—** California's SB 243, effective January 2026, mandates that AI chatbot platforms like Uber Eats' new **AI Cart Builder** disclose their non-human nature and implement safeguards against harmful content, particularly for users under 18[1]. This comes amid federal pushback, as President Trump's December 2025 executive order directs the Justice Department to challenge "unconstitutional" state AI laws in California and others, potentially targeting tools enabling instant grocery lists[4][7]. No specific probes into the Cart Builder have been announced, though AB 578 simultaneously requires Uber Eats to issue full refunds to original payment methods for botched grocery orders[1].
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 9:30:39 PM
Uber Eats launched an **AI-powered cart assistant** on Wednesday that allows users to build grocery lists by uploading photos or entering text prompts, including handwritten shopping lists, with the system translating inputs into structured cart selections while considering user preferences and real-time store availability[1]. The feature is rolling out across major retail partners including Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger, as part of Uber's broader strategy to embed AI into customer workflows[1]. This move comes as Uber's delivery segment reported gross bookings of $25.4 billion in the fourth quarter, up 26% year over year, with grocery delivery identified as a key strategic growth area[1].
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 9:40:35 PM
**Uber Eats' AI Cart Builder intensifies grocery delivery rivalry, outpacing Instacart's Smart Shop by integrating text prompts, images, recipes, and handwritten lists into instant carts—features Instacart has yet to match.** The launch triggered a sharp market reaction, with Instacart shares dropping over 5% to a 17-month low, signaling investor worries over Uber's edge in AI-driven shopping that factors in real-time availability and promotions across partners like Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger[2][3][5]. Meanwhile, competitors like Target and Sprouts are racing to deploy similar agentic AI tools via OpenAI and Instacart integrations, escalating the push for smarter, frictionless shopper experiences
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 9:50:34 PM
Uber Eats' launch of the **AI Cart Builder** (also called Cart Assistant) intensifies competition in AI-driven grocery delivery by enabling instant cart creation from text prompts, handwritten lists, or recipe images, directly challenging rivals like DoorDash and Instacart.[1][2] The feature rolls out across **dozens of major retail partners** including Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger, embedding AI into real-time availability and user preferences to streamline shopping workflows.[1] "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, as Uber extends its July AI menu descriptions and review summaries to capture more grocery market share.
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 10:00:39 PM
**Uber Eats unveiled an AI Cart Assistant on Wednesday that transforms grocery shopping by allowing users to build shopping carts from text prompts or handwritten images, which the system translates into structured cart selections while considering user preferences and real-time store availability.[1]** The feature is rolling out across major retail partners including Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger, with Kroger also planning to make its full store assortment available through Uber Eats in 2026 and integrate Uber's restaurant selection into its own app and website.[2] "By grounding these features in real user behavior, we can build tools that feel helpful and intuitive," said Praveen
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 10:10:40 PM
**LIVE NEWS UPDATE: Uber Eats AI Cart Builder Sparks Mixed Consumer Buzz**
Consumers are praising Uber Eats' new AI Cart Builder for slashing grocery list creation time, with early beta users on iOS reporting "instant carts from handwritten notes" in social media posts, though some express wariness over AI autonomy[1][2]. Public reaction highlights convenience amid rising competition, as Instacart's similar tool drew 15% more downloads post-launch in November 2025, fueling debates on relinquishing shopping control[3]. Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga addressed concerns, stating, "You maintain complete control over it," as the feature rolls out to partners like Kroger[2].
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 10:20:38 PM
Uber Eats launched its **AI Cart Assistant** on Wednesday, enabling users to build grocery carts instantly from text prompts or photos of handwritten lists, while factoring in preferences and real-time store availability across partners like Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger[1][3]. Praveen Neppalli Naga, in a company release, stated: "*Cart Assistant reflects how we think about AI at Uber: starting with real customer needs and building practical solutions within the app*"[1]. This follows Uber's July AI tools for menu descriptions and review summaries, amid rivals like Kroger planning Instacart's Cart Assistant integration and full Uber Eats assortment rollout in 2026[1][2].
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 10:30:39 PM
**Breaking: Instacart Shares Plunge Over 5%** to a 17-month low following Uber Eats' launch of the AI Cart Builder (also called Cart Assistant), which outpaces Instacart's Smart Shop by integrating text prompts, photos of handwritten lists, recipes, user preferences, real-time availability, store pricing, and promotions across partners like Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger.[1][2] Uber product leader Praveen Neppalli Naga stated in the release, *“Cart Assistant reflects how we think about AI at Uber: starting with real customer needs and building practical solutions within the app.”*[1] This escalates grocery delivery wars amid a $1.7 trillion U.S. online marke
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 10:40:38 PM
**Uber Eats' AI Cart Builder escalates grocery delivery competition, directly challenging Instacart's November 2025 AI Cart Assistant launch with Sprouts for customized meal planning.** The feature, rolling out in US beta on iOS with Android soon, integrates with partners like Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger, amid Uber's 26% year-over-year gross bookings growth to $25.4 billion in Q4 2025.[1][2][3] Instacart's recent Preference Picker for details like banana ripeness underscores intensifying AI battles, as Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga stated: "Cart Assistant reflects how we think about AI at Uber: starting with real customer needs."[1][
🔄 Updated: 2/11/2026, 10:50:37 PM
**BREAKING: Uber Eats' AI Cart Builder Sparks Global Grocery Delivery Race**
Uber Eats' new AI Cart Assistant, rolling out to dozens of major US partners like Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger, is set to reshape global grocery e-commerce by embedding AI-driven list building from text or images into everyday shopping, potentially boosting adoption in competitive markets like Europe and Asia where Uber operates.[1] International retailers are responding swiftly, with early signals of partnerships mirroring US integrations to counter rivals like Deliveroo and Just Eat, amid Uber's push for "practical solutions within the app," per product lead Praveen Neppalli Naga.[1] Analysts predict a 15-20% uptick in grocery orde