Instacart to add ChatGPT bot to its app

Instacart is adding OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot technology to its app, jumping on the bandwagon of many companies doing the same — plugging in the AI language tool in a move to offer automated customer service and marketing solutions.

Set to launch later this year, the company’s “Ask Instacart” feature will allow customers to ask about groceries and meals and get shoppable answers. The technology uses ChatGPT alongside Instacart’s own AI, as well as extensive product data — drawing on info from over 80,000-plus store locations via the company’s retail partners.

“Grocery shopping can require a big mental load, with a lot of factors at play, like budget, health and nutrition, personal tastes, seasonality, culinary skills, prep time, and recipe inspiration,” said JJ Zhuang, Chief Architect at Instacart. 

“What if AI could take on that mental load, and we could help the household leaders who are commonly responsible for grocery shopping, meal planning, and putting food on the table– and actually make grocery shopping truly fun?” Zhuang added. 

With this move, Instacart joins the ranks of companies like Meta, Shopify, BuzzFeed, and  others already using ChatGPT tech in their customer service chatbots and in generating content.  

In 2022, Instacart marked a 50% increase in revenue during the fourth quarter of 2022, and, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal, the company moved through $29 billion in sales this past year (a 16% spring compared to FY 2021). 

Related:As growth explodes, Instacart waits for right timing for IPO

Instacart also recently announced its push to court small business owners with the launch of Instacart Business, which targets business owners, particularly at the small and local level. Instacart COO Asha Sharma was part of the development of Instacart Business, and she sees it as an ambitious move — one that someday may compete with the likes of Amazon and Walmart in the food and supplies marketplace.

OpenAI is a San Francisco-based software startup launched in 2015 — the company has sought to expand its reach by making it relatively easy to integrate ChatGPT software with outside apps. OpenAI president, chairman and co-founder Greg Brockman told The Wall Street Journal that in order to do that, OpenAI allows companies like Instacart to build their own tools on top of ChatGPT’s software.