Instacart and OpenAI partner on AI shopping experiences
TL;DR
Instacart and OpenAI have deepened their partnership by integrating a fully functional grocery shopping app into ChatGPT. Users can now browse, build carts, and checkout directly within the chat interface using OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol.
Key Takeaways
- •Instacart's app is now fully integrated into ChatGPT, allowing users to shop for groceries and checkout without leaving the conversation.
- •The integration uses OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol to enable real-time shopping, payment, and delivery through Instacart's network.
- •This partnership builds on existing collaboration where Instacart uses OpenAI technologies for both customer-facing features and internal workflows.
- •The experience represents a step toward AI-powered services that connect conversational interfaces directly to real-world actions.
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Key takeaways:
- With the Instacart app in ChatGPT, users can browse groceries, build their cart, and check out seamlessly through OpenAI Instant Checkout without ever leaving the chat.
- The new experience builds on a longstanding partnership between OpenAI and Instacart to facilitate AI-powered shopping.
OpenAI and Instacart are deepening their longstanding partnership by bringing the first fully integrated grocery shopping and Instant Checkout payment app to ChatGPT. With the Instacart app in ChatGPT, users can go from meal inspiration to doorstep delivery without ever leaving the conversation. The integration enables Instacart’s real-time grocery network and fulfillment capabilities with the help of OpenAI’s frontier models.
Instacart is the first app to offer a checkout experience directly within ChatGPT, powered by the Agentic Commerce Protocol.
“Instacart and ChatGPT are redefining what’s possible in AI-powered shopping,” said Anirban Kundu, Chief Technology Officer at Instacart. “Built on Agentic Commerce Protocol, this experience brings intelligent, real-time support to one of the most essential parts of daily life: getting groceries to feed your family. Together, we’re creating a seamless and secure way for people to turn simple conversations into real-world action—helping customers go from inspiration to a full cart delivered from the store to their door with ease.”
“With the Instacart app directly in ChatGPT, users can go from meal planning to checkout in a single, seamless conversation,” said Nick Turley, VP, Head of ChatGPT. “It’s another step toward bringing our vision to life—where AI delivers helpful suggestions and connects directly to real-world services, saving people time and effort in their everyday lives.”
As an example of this new experience, users will be able to ask ChatGPT, “Help me shop for apple pie ingredients on Instacart,” and it will surface the Instacart app. ChatGPT will also suggest the app when users mention food, recipes, or meal ideas.
Once users connect to the app and sign in with their Instacart account, the Instacart app will find the right items from local retailers and assemble a ready-to-review cart with the help of OpenAI models. From there, users can check out and securely pay directly in the Instacart app within ChatGPT—no tab switching required. Instacart then finds a shopper to pick up and deliver the order through its trusted platform.
Expanding on the partnership
The Instacart app in ChatGPT builds on a longstanding partnership between the two companies. Instacart was one of the earliest contributors to the OpenAI Operator research preview, providing valuable feedback to help ensure the technology addressed real-world needs while respecting established norms.
Today, Instacart continues to use OpenAI APIs to complement its proprietary technologies to provide experiences that help customers save time, find inspiration, and make confident food-related decisions through personalized recommendations.
Instacart also uses ChatGPT Enterprise to power internal workflows that help employees build faster, smarter, and more personalized customer experiences. In addition, Instacart uses OpenAI’s Codex to power an internal coding agent.
This partnership update further extends OpenAI’s work with the world’s largest and most established enterprises, including Accenture, Walmart(opens in a new window), Salesforce(opens in a new window), PayPal(opens in a new window), Intuit, Target, Thermo Fisher(opens in a new window), BNY(opens in a new window), Morgan Stanley, BBVA, and many more.