Instacart launches an AI grocery shopping assistant called Clementine
techcrunch ·
Instacart announced the launch of Clementine, a conversational AI grocery shopping assistant integrated into its platform. The assistant can turn conversations, grocery lists, or recipes into ready-to-buy carts, and it helps users plan meals, simplify shopping, and stay within budget. Users can ask questions such as for budget-friendly kids' lunches or high-protein dinners, and Clementine can also process photos of handwritten or digital grocery lists. The assistant personalizes recommendations based on household preferences and dietary needs like gluten-free, vegetarian, nut-free, or organic, while also surfacing deals and suggesting lower-cost alternatives. This move follows similar AI assistants introduced by Uber Eats and DoorDash, indicating delivery apps are competing to become default meal-planning tools rather than just shopping destinations. The feature aims to keep users within the apps instead of turning to popular AI chatbots for grocery planning. Clementine is now available in the United States and Canada, according to the company.
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