Instacart just launched Clementine, an AI shopping assistant that turns everyday chat, recipes, and even photos of handwritten notes into ready-to-buy carts. It suggests budget-friendly meals, surfaces deals, and tailors picks to dietary needs. The move aims to solve the nightly meal debate inside the app before users turn to ChatGPT.
Google just rolled out connected apps inside Search’s AI Mode for U.S. users, linking external services directly into search results. You can now add recipe items straight to an Instacart cart, pull up Canva templates, or save curated playlists to YouTube Music without switching tabs. Google plans to expand to more partner apps soon.
Instacart just detailed its Physical AI push with Caper Carts, running NVIDIA Jetson chips directly on smart shopping carts. By processing basket contents, scales, and store locations in real time, the carts deliver timely nudges before checkout—driving double-digit basket size lifts for retailers.
OpenAI and Instacart just brought full grocery ordering and checkout directly inside ChatGPT. Powered by the new Agentic Commerce Protocol, users can go from recipe brainstorming to a delivered cart without ever leaving the conversation. It's a clear sign that conversational AI is moving straight into real-world transaction execution.
Instacart's Fidji Simo just announced she is joining OpenAI on August 18 as CEO of Applications to get its technology into the hands of everyday users. In an essay, she argued AI can democratize healthcare, learning, and entrepreneurship—warning that without intentional rollout, it risks concentrating wealth among the few.
OpenAI just announced that Fidji Simo is joining as CEO of Applications, reporting directly to Sam. Simo, an existing board member, will transition from Instacart later this year to scale product and commercial operations, while Sam narrows his focus to research, compute, and safety systems. Why it matters: As OpenAI transforms into a massive commercial and infrastructure engine, bringing in seasoned operational leadership allows technical leaders to concentrate on superintelligence.
Instacart just unveiled new AI and computer vision features to tackle out-of-stock items. Shoppers can earn cash by filming store shelves for AI to analyze stock levels, while outward cameras on Caper Carts also log inventory. If an item is missing, a new feature automatically checks nearby stores.
Samsung just teamed up with Instacart to turn its 2025 Bespoke smart fridges into automated grocery restock hubs. Powered by AI Vision Inside food recognition, users can order missing groceries right from the fridge screen for same-day delivery. Existing AI Family Hub+ units will also receive the feature via network firmware updates in 2025.
Instacart just rolled out Ask Instacart, a new in-app AI search tool powered by ChatGPT that answers open-ended food questions. Shoppers can ask for dinner ideas, dietary substitutes, or side dish pairings directly in the search bar, with the rollout starting in the U.S. and Canada.
