We’ve all been there: you’re standing in the kitchen, staring at a scribbled note on the fridge that looks more like ancient hieroglyphics than a shopping list. Or maybe you found a recipe online that looks amazing, but the thought of manually searching for every single ingredient in a delivery app makes you want to just order pizza instead.
Uber Eats is betting that AI can finally fix this disconnect. On February 11, 2026, the company officially launched “Cart Assistant,” a new feature designed to bridge the gap between your physical intent and your digital shopping cart.
This isn’t just a chatbot that suggests dinner ideas. According to the launch details, this is a functional piece of “agentic AI” capable of executing complex tasks. The headline feature? You can snap a photo of a handwritten grocery list or a recipe, and the AI will automatically hunt down the items, check for availability, and populate your cart. It’s a bold move that directly targets the friction of online grocery shopping—and it has immediate implications for competitors like Instacart.
How does the new Cart Assistant actually work?
The premise of Cart Assistant is simplicity. Rather than typing “milk,” “eggs,” and “bread” into a search bar one by one, the feature allows users to upload imagery or text prompts directly.
Currently available in beta for iOS users in the US—with Android support planned for the near future—the AI analyzes the input to identify specific products. If you upload a picture of a handwritten note, the system deciphers the text and matches it to inventory. If you upload a recipe, it extracts the ingredients.
But it doesn’t just blindly add items. The AI is designed to be context-aware. It considers your past orders and personal preferences to decide which brand of pasta or type of milk you likely want. It also checks real-time store availability and active promotions. The launch includes integration with major retail partners, including Albertsons, Aldi, Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Wegmans. This ensures that the AI isn’t just making a theoretical list; it’s building a cart you can actually buy.
Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga described the approach as “starting with real customer needs and building practical solutions within the app.” It’s a clear signal that Uber wants AI to be a utility, not just a novelty.
Is this different from what Instacart already offers?
This is the multi-billion dollar question. Instacart has long been the dominant force in North American grocery delivery, but Uber is encroaching on its territory with aggressive technological parity.
Instacart launched its own AI feature, “Smart Shop,” back in March 2025. While Smart Shop is capable of identifying user preferences and dietary restrictions, market analysts note that it lacks the seamless list-to-cart integration that Uber is now touting. Specifically, the ability to translate a visual input (like a photo) directly into a transactional cart is a differentiator.
The market seems to agree that this is a threat. Following Uber’s announcement, Instacart’s stock (CART) dropped more than 5%, hitting a new 17-month low. Investors appear concerned that Uber is commoditizing the complex task of grocery planning—a “moat” that Instacart previously relied on.
Why is Uber pivoting to ‘Agentic AI’ now?
This launch represents a strategic shift for Uber. For years, the company was defined by logistics—moving people and food from point A to point B. With Cart Assistant, Uber is moving into “agentic AI,” where software acts as an agent to perform tasks on behalf of the user.
The financial incentives are clear. Uber’s Delivery gross bookings rose 26% year-over-year to $25.4 billion in Q4, driven largely by the expansion of its delivery network. By removing the friction of building a grocery cart—which is significantly more tedious than ordering a single restaurant meal—Uber aims to increase the frequency and size of grocery orders.
This feature realizes a vision Uber teased in late 2023, when it announced plans for a “virtual sales aisle.” By integrating this capability directly into the flow of commerce, Uber is trying to make its app the default operating system for household management, rather than just a delivery service.
What To Watch
This is a direct assault on Instacart’s user interface advantage. While Instacart has deep data on what people buy, Uber is attacking the how. If Cart Assistant works reliably with messy handwriting and obscure recipes, it effectively removes the switching cost for users tired of Instacart’s interface. The loser here isn’t just Instacart, but potentially recipe websites and meal-planning apps, as Uber consolidates the entire “inspiration-to-delivery” loop inside a single walled garden. Watch for DoorDash to fast-track similar image-recognition features in response.
![Illustration related to Uber Eats Cart Assistant: AI Scans Handwritten Lists [New]](https://bytewire.press/wp-content/uploads/bytewire-images/2026/02/uber-eats-cart-assistant-ai-features-631ed157b9.webp)
![Diagram related to Uber Eats Cart Assistant: AI Scans Handwritten Lists [New]](https://bytewire.press/wp-content/uploads/bytewire-images/2026/02/uber-eats-cart-assistant-ai-features-6968a8b621.webp)
