Instacart launches custom AI assistants for retailers, and its own

Retail giants like Walmart, Kroger and Amazon have launched AI assistants allowing consumers to ask for recommendations or curated shopping lists. Now, Instacart has made it easier for other retailers such as regional grocers to follow in their footsteps. On Wednesday, Instacart announced the launch of Cart Assistant, a white-label assistant that retailers can implement on their own websites and apps. This is the latest addition to Instacart’s suite of enterprise services for retailers, further democratizing access to the kind of technology that larger retailers build in-house. Instacart also powers retailers’ e-commerce marketplaces, advertising businesses and in-store technology such as digital price labels and smart carts. Cart Assistant allows consumers to look for deals, reorder items and build carts from a photo of a shopping list. It was revealed as part of the announcement of Clementine, a separate AI grocery shopping assistant available to users of Instacart’s marketplace in the U.S. and Canada. Clementine similarly aims to turn conversational requests, like ”I need a week of budget-friendly kid lunches,” “high-protein easy dinners for two” or “order my usuals,” into personalized digital shopping carts full of relevant items from a chosen store.