Instacart launches an AI grocery shopping assistant called Clementine

image via TechCrunch

September 9, 2026, 1:00 PM

• •Instacart has launched an AI grocery assistant named Clementine in the U.S. and Canada.
• •Clementine can turn conversations, recipes, grocery lists, and uploaded list images into a ready-to-buy shopping cart.
• •The assistant recommends recipes and products based on household preferences and dietary needs such as gluten-free, vegetarian, nut-free, and organic options.
• •Instacart says the tool can surface promotions and suggest lower-cost substitutes to help users stay on budget.
• •The move puts Instacart alongside Uber Eats and DoorDash, which have also introduced AI assistants for grocery shopping.

Instacart has introduced Clementine, a conversational AI assistant designed to help users plan meals and build grocery carts. The tool can convert chat prompts, recipes, typed lists, and uploaded images of lists into shoppable orders. Instacart says Clementine also personalizes suggestions based on dietary preferences and highlights deals or cheaper alternatives. The launch reflects growing competition among delivery apps to become not just ordering platforms but household planning tools.

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