ChatGPT Gets a Grocery Aisle: OpenAI and Instacart Launch Full In-Chat Shopping

OpenAI and Instacart have launched a new shopping experience inside ChatGPT that lets users plan meals, choose groceries, fill their cart, and even pay… all in one conversation.

It’s the first time a grocery app has been fully embedded inside ChatGPT with Instant Checkout, letting people complete an order without jumping to another tab. Instacart CTO Anirban Kundu called the integration a major shift in how people complete everyday tasks. 

“Instacart and ChatGPT are redefining what’s possible in AI-powered shopping,” he said in a statement. 

He added that the experience creates “a seamless and secure way for people to turn simple conversations into real-world action — helping customers go from inspiration to a full cart delivered from the store to their door with ease.”

How it works

The Instacart app becomes available when a user starts a prompt with the word “Instacart,” or simply asks for help with groceries or recipes. From there, ChatGPT surfaces the Instacart experience, asks the user to sign in to their Instacart account, and automatically begins building a cart with items from nearby retailers.

Once the cart is ready, users can review items and check out directly inside ChatGPT. Payments run through Stripe, and Instacart manages the shopping and delivery as usual. The new shopping experience is available now on desktop and mobile web, with Instant Checkout coming to the iOS and Android ChatGPT apps soon.

This launch builds on more than two years of collaboration between the two companies. Instacart previously used ChatGPT to power its in-app AI search tool, which helped shoppers with meal ideas and dietary needs. The relationship deepened earlier this year when former Instacart CEO Fidji Simo, already an OpenAI board member, became OpenAI’s CEO of Applications.

Instacart continues to use OpenAI’s APIs, ChatGPT Enterprise, and Codex to support customer-facing features and internal development tools.

The bigger picture: AI wants to shop for you

OpenAI is placing significant emphasis on “agentic commerce,” using AI to research products and execute purchases on behalf of users. The company’s recent developer previews showcased integrations with Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Expedia, Spotify, Figma, and Zillow. OpenAI has also announced partnerships with Target, Intuit, and additional retailers.

Competitors are racing in the same direction. Google is rolling out AI shopping features in Search, while Perplexity recently introduced a conversational shopping assistant with checkout via PayPal.

Looking for the next chapter in OpenAI’s evolution? Don’t miss our quick breakdown of Garlic, the company’s bold platform update that’s already reshaping the AI landscape.
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