DoorDash announced on Thursday the launch of a new AI chatbot called "Ask DoorDash," which allows users to order food and groceries using text prompts and photos. This chatbot enables users to search the app for what they want in their own words, eliminating the need to scroll through restaurants and stores to build a cart. Users can specify their cravings, share a recipe link to find items, or describe the reservation they are looking for. DoorDash stated in a blog post, "Traditional search works best when you know the exact restaurant or table you're looking for, while Ask DoorDash is designed for moments when you don't."
Food delivery apps and tech giants are betting that AI can make shopping more conversational and personalized as companies race to make AI assistants a standard part of everyday life. In February, Uber Eats launched an AI-powered "Cart Assistant," while Instacart rolled out an AI shopping assistant that grocers can offer to their customers. DoorDash's app can build your grocery cart based on a photo from a cookbook, a picture of your grocery list, or a recipe. The app will then add all items and their correct quantities to your cart and prompt users to check if they already have staples like sugar and butter to avoid duplicate purchases.
Users can also ask the chatbot to reorder their last grocery cart or suggest new items based on previous orders. For food ordering, users can tell the chatbot they want a "filling dinner for a family of 4." The app will then surface restaurants alongside a personalized blurb explaining why it matches the search. Users can narrow results further with queries like, "Show me kid-friendly vegetarian spots with mild options." Once a place is selected, users can ask DoorDash to build a cart with suggestions based on dietary preferences, budget, group size, or past orders.
With Ask DoorDash for Reservations, users can request the chatbot to find a "table for two downtown for a date-night dinner around 8 PM." The app will then surface restaurants with availability, and users can refine results further by asking for something more intimate. The chatbot is rolling out on iOS in select regions for restaurant search and grocery shopping, and it will reach more users across the U.S. in the coming weeks.
Blogger's Review: This innovative move by DoorDash significantly enhances user experience by leveraging AI technologies to create a personalized and convenient shopping method, indicating that the future of the food delivery industry will be more intelligent and human-centric. The AI chatbot not only optimizes the search process but also understands user needs to recommend suitable options, greatly improving service efficiency.