On Wednesday, Uber Eats introduced a new AI-powered tool called “Cart Assistant,” aimed at making grocery shopping quicker and more convenient. The feature is currently available in beta within the app.

To access the chatbot, users simply search for a grocery store in the Uber Eats app and select the purple Cart Assistant icon on the store’s page to start their shop. They can then type out a list or upload an image—such as a photo of a handwritten list or a screenshot of a recipe—and Cart Assistant will automatically populate their basket with the corresponding items. Afterward, shoppers can personalize their cart by switching items to preferred brands or adding additional products from the store.

Uber Eats highlights that Cart Assistant draws on past orders to prioritize familiar items, like a customer’s regular milk or favorite oatmeal, creating a more tailored experience.

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

This innovation could strengthen Uber Eats’ position against competing food delivery and grocery apps that are also adopting or building AI chatbots. For instance, Instacart rolled out an AI search feature powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2023 to help shoppers save time and get personalized recommendations. Similarly, DoorDash was said to be testing an AI chatbot named DashAI that same year.

In the previous year, both Uber Eats and DoorDash integrated with ChatGPT to simplify food ordering. Through Uber Eats, U.S. users can explore local restaurants and menus within ChatGPT and then finalize their purchase in the Uber Eats app. DoorDash’s integration lets users ask for meal plans and automatically adds all required ingredients to their cart. Notably, a 2023 report indicated that Uber Eats was working on an AI chatbot designed to inquire about users’ budgets and food preferences to assist with placing orders.

Broadly, Uber Eats is accelerating its investment in AI, which also includes merchant-focused tools like AI-generated menu descriptions, improved food photography, and summaries of customer reviews.