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Instacart Launches AI Grocery Assistant Clementine
Developing
In Short: Instacart has unveiled a new AI-powered grocery shopping assistant called Clementine, designed to simplify meal planning and grocery shopping.
With Clementine, users can decide what to make for dinner, simplify grocery shopping, and stay on budget, the company says. The AI assistant can generate personalized recipes or surface ones from trusted publishers, and it will also surface relevant deals and promotions while suggesting lower-cost alternatives.
Additionally, users can upload a photo of a handwritten grocery list or a screenshot of a digital one, and Clementine can turn it into a cart. The launch of Clementine indicates that delivery apps no longer just want to be places where people find and buy groceries, but also where they make decisions before a purchase.
According to reports, the assistant made some interesting claims about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which sit awkwardly next to what's already been reported. The screenshots were shared privately with MacRumors by X user "mehrtosh," who says the responses came from the "Ask Verizon" AI assistant built into the carrier's app.
Recent leaks have pointed to Dark Cherry alongside Silver and Sky Blue, not the "Titanium Gray," "Titanium White," and "Titanium Black" names the assistant listed, which more closely resemble the finish names Apple used for the iPhone 15 Pro lineup back in 2023. The assistant also made a series of more plausible claims, but we have been unable to independently verify or replicate the exchange, suggesting the chatbot may have since been patched, or that the original screenshots were altered or otherwise inaccurate.
What's still developing
- A series of screenshots shared with MacRumors today seemingly show Verizon's AI chat assistant answering detailed questions about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, just hours before Apple's announcement event.
- “Every night, millions of families ask the same question: ‘What’s for dinner?’ Not knowing the answer, let alone what to shop for, is one of the most universal human experiences, and a problem Instacart is built to solve,” said Chris Rogers, CEO of Instacart, in an emailed press release.
- 25% off tickets now Back by popular demand: Save up to $300 on Disrupt Instacart is the latest app to bake a conversational AI assistant into its platform.
- These platforms are now competing not only on delivery speed and variety, but also on becoming the default planning tool for households when it comes to grocery shopping.
- Additionally, they’re looking to keep users in their own apps for grocery and meal planning, rather than having them turn to popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
Sources
- TechCrunchlink