Uber Eats Introduces AI-Powered Chatbot to Provide Suggestions to Users
Uber Technologies Inc. is currently developing an AI chatbot that will provide suggestions to food-delivery customers and assist them in placing orders more efficiently. This initiative is part of a competitive effort to incorporate AI into widely-used applications.
Details of the Uber program were found inside code hidden within the Eats app, offering a glimpse into a yet-to-be-announced feature. When a user launches the chatbot, the software displays a message that says “the AI assistant is designed to help you find suitable restaurant dishes and more,” according to wording in the code that developer Steve Moser discovered and shared with Bloomberg. News.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told Bloomberg Television earlier this month that his company is working on an AI chatbot, but did not share details about its capabilities. He said Uber has already used artificial intelligence to match users with drivers and couriers.
Uber Eats, which accounts for about a third of the company’s revenue, is up against DoorDash Inc. and Instacart as it tries to use artificial intelligence to improve food delivery. DoorDash has been working on a system called DashAI, and Instacart is developing a chatbot based on OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. Instacart, the largest online grocery delivery company in the U.S., is planning a public listing and bringing extra attention to its technology.
The Uber chatbot asks customers to enter their budget and food preferences and helps them place an order. It is unclear when the system will be rolled out publicly. A spokeswoman for San Francisco-based Uber declined to comment.
