Uber just revealed on its Q3 earnings call that out of roughly 320 million trips and orders during Halloween week, only four rides were booked via AI agents, with Uber Eats logging just 500. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi noted app booking takes just 50 seconds anyway, delivering a reality check to the agentic web hype.
DoorDash CEO Tony Xu just revealed that third-party AI agents have placed only "several hundred" orders in total, compared to the company's 3 million daily deliveries. Xu warned against being delusional about agentic commerce, though DoorDash is still experimenting with its own in-house bots.
DoorDash just launched dd-cli in limited beta, a command-line tool that lets AI agents search stores, hunt down deals, and complete checkout autonomously. It marks a push into agentic commerce where software handles physical transactions directly. Early access is currently open to macOS developers in the US and Canada via a waitlist.
DoorDash just launched a new Tasks program and is piloting a standalone app that pays delivery couriers to collect real-world data for AI and robotics. Dashers can earn extra cash between deliveries by filming everyday tasks like washing dishes, photographing hotel entrances, or recording speech. It essentially turns an 8-million-strong delivery fleet into an on-demand data workforce to help machines understand the physical world.
DoorDash just rolled out Zesty, a new AI-powered social app designed to kill off endless review hunting and TikTok scrolling when picking a restaurant. Users can prompt an AI chatbot for hyper-specific vibes like a low-key dinner for introverts, pulling recommendations across DoorDash, Google Maps, and TikTok. Why it matters: DoorDash is aggressively pushing beyond delivery into local social discovery.
DoorDash just unveiled Dot, an in-house autonomous delivery robot designed for local commerce alongside an AI Autonomous Delivery Platform. At one-tenth the size of a car and capable of speeds up to 20 mph, Dot navigates roads, sidewalks, and bike lanes. The platform acts as an AI dispatcher across drivers, robots, and drones, starting trials in Arizona.
DoorDash just partnered with sidewalk bot maker Coco to roll out automated food deliveries across Los Angeles and Chicago, with nearly 600 merchants on board. As DoorDash puts it, you don't need a two-ton car just to deliver two chicken sandwiches. The move follows over 100,000 successful trial deliveries.
Amazon is reportedly partnering with brands like Uber, DoorDash, and Ticketmaster to make its upgraded Alexa actually handle tasks from start to finish. Instead of relying purely on LLMs to navigate web pages, Amazon wants direct API hooks with around 200 partners by Q3 next year. It's a far more practical bet on assistants actually getting things done.
DoorDash is developing an AI-powered voice ordering system to help restaurants handle phone orders without tying up staff. The move responds to internal data showing that while 20% of takeout diners prefer calling, half of those calls go unanswered. It includes multi-language support and live agent backup, though pricing and launch timing remain unannounced.
