Uber Eats' Chatbot Partnership with Google: A Game-Changer in Food Delivery

Uber Eats is set to roll out an innovative chatbot feature later this year, catering to customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. This AI-driven assistant, designed to enhance user experiences, is poised to revolutionize the way customers interact with the app. Initially, the chatbot will assist users in locating enticing restaurant deals and effortlessly reordering their favorite dishes. As part of Uber's ongoing commitment to expanding its offerings, the chatbot will eventually evolve to facilitate meal planning, identify grocery sales, and facilitate ingredient orders for recipes.

In its quest to introduce new products and functionalities, Uber has been diligently working to not only attract new patrons but also to retain its existing customer base. This strategic move serves the dual purpose of enhancing user engagement and increasing spending on the platform.

The introduction of the chatbot signifies Uber's entrance into the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence. With companies from various sectors rushing to harness the potential of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Uber's foray into conversational AI appears to be a proactive step, one that could potentially yield higher conversion rates compared to the recently implemented in-app advertisements.

Uber's chatbot will leverage the power of Google's PaLM 2 LLM and draw insights from the extensive database comprising over 900,000 merchants. Google introduced PaLM 2 at its I/O developer conference in May, marking it as the engine behind Bard, Google's response to ChatGPT.

Customers will interact with the chatbot via a chat function, allowing them to request specific items or information, such as finding spicy vegetarian Thai dishes, locating trendy Mexican eateries in New York City, or ordering dumplings under $15 for delivery within 30 minutes. The chatbot will promptly respond with a curated list of stores and dishes that align with the customer's preferences.

In a demonstration showcased to TechCrunch, a customer asks the chatbot to "show me popular picnic snacks." The chatbot promptly offers suggestions for picnic essentials, featuring items like Gouda cheese and chocolate chip cookies from a nearby supermarket. When the customer expresses a preference for organic options, the chatbot swiftly complies, recommending fresh fruit options like apples, berries, and grapes. It then proceeds to offer more choices that align with the customer's desire for healthier snacks, ultimately assisting them in adding a selection of trail mix from a local supermarket to their cart.

Uber envisions that the chatbot feature will streamline the customer experience by eliminating the need to navigate menus and browse through multiple stores, saving both time and effort.

It's worth noting that other delivery apps are also exploring ways to integrate AI into their platforms. DoorDash, for instance, recently introduced AI-powered voice ordering technology to handle restaurant orders through automated calls. Furthermore, DoorDash is actively developing its own chatbot, keeping pace with the evolving landscape of AI-powered solutions in the food delivery industry.