DoorDash’s new AI lets you order dinner by texting a photo of your fridge
Delivery platform DoorDash is testing out a new way to order food that could result in deciding what to eat a little easier.
The US-based firm is introducing a new AI assistant that enables you to text a photo of your fridge and ask the bot what you should eat.
This feature will soon be available through the Apple Messages app, with customers now being invited to join a waiting list.
According to a report by Bloomberg, DoorDash opened the waiting list earlier this week, with users able to match their phone numbers with their DoorDash profiles so that the AI can learn order history and preferences.
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On the DoorDash website, it explains: “Text DoorDash on your iOS device (Android coming soon!). It knows your usual, handles group orders, and reminds you to restock.”
How does the DoorDash AI assistant work?
So, if you’re keen to find out how the new system will work, customers will be able to send the AI bot a photo of the contents of their fridge and ask for ideas about what they could make.
The AI can then suggest recipes and identify ingredients that might be missing, giving users the option of turning those suggestions into an order.
This could be particularly useful if you have a fridge full of random ingredients but have no idea what to actually cook with it.
The assistant can also show you food images directly within the conversation, allowing customers to browse suggestions without having to jump between different apps.
Once an order has been put together, the AI can use the payment method already saved to the customer’s DoorDash account.
However, this version of the bot is just a pilot, with DoorDash warning people that it is possible for the model to make mistakes, so customers should check their shopping cart carefully before checking out.
Earlier this year, the platform first introduced a feature known as Ask DoorDash, which was the firm’s first AI tool.
That service is designed to let customers ask conversational questions and get help finding food and grocery options.
This new messaging version builds on that, basically taking the idea outside the DoorDash app and allowing customers to interact with the service through a familiar text conversation instead.
For now, it is only available to customers located in the US and using an iPhone, with a broader launch expected at some point in the future.