DoorDash Launches AI Chatbot for Food Orders and Reservations Using Photos and Text Prompts
DoorDash announced a new AI chatbot called 'Ask DoorDash' that allows users to order food, build grocery carts, and book restaurant reservations using text prompts and photos. The launch follows similar AI assistant rollouts by competitors Uber Eats and Instacart, as gig economy platforms race to integrate conversational AI into their apps. The move is part of a broader, costly technology overhaul at DoorDash that has weighed heavily on its stock, which is down 33% this year.
DoorDash on Thursday unveiled 'Ask DoorDash,' an AI-powered chatbot that lets users place food orders, assemble grocery carts, and find restaurant reservations through natural language prompts and image uploads. Users can photograph a cookbook page or handwritten grocery list and have the app automatically populate a cart with the correct items and quantities — a screenshot of the interface shows it successfully identifying all six ingredients for a cookie recipe from a single photo, totaling $32 at Kroger. The chatbot can also suggest restaurants based on vague criteria like 'a filling dinner for a family of 4,' refine results with follow-up queries, and find reservation availability for specific times and settings. DoorDash co-founder Andy Fang noted that during a limited iOS rollout, nearly half of takeout orders placed through the tool came from users who had never ordered from that restaurant before, suggesting the AI is driving discovery. The chatbot is currently live in select U.S. markets on iOS, with broader rollout and reservation features planned for coming weeks. The launch is part of a larger and expensive technology integration effort following DoorDash's acquisitions of restaurant booking platform SevenRooms for $1.2 billion and Deliveroo for nearly $4 billion. DoorDash's stock has fallen 33% this year, partly due to investor concern over the company's pledge to spend 'several hundred million dollars' on new products and technology in 2026.
What's missing
The articles do not specify which U.S. cities or regions are included in the initial select-market rollout, nor do they detail the underlying AI model or technology powering the chatbot.
What different sources said
- TechCrunchCenter
DoorDash’s new AI chatbot lets you order with prompts and photos
- CNBCCenter
DoorDash lets customers use photos, prompts to order food and book reservations in latest AI push
- FortuneCenter
DoorDash wants you to stop scrolling and just tell its new AI chatbot what you’re hungry for
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