Instacart has introduced Clementine, a conversational AI assistant integrated into its app and website. The tool was rolled out to millions of US customers between June 16 and 18. It allows users to plan meals, find recipes, and create shopping lists using natural language.
The assistant is powered by proprietary data models trained on 14 years of shopping behavior and approximately 1.6 billion lifetime orders from nearly 100,000 North American grocery stores. It personalizes recommendations based on user purchase history and checks real-time local store inventory.
Clementine integrates with external AI platforms, including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini. The company reports that orders placed via the AI assistant result in larger average basket sizes compared to the standard average of $113.
This launch follows the November 2025 release of Cart Assistant, a tool for retail partners like Kroger and Sprouts Farmers Market to customize their storefronts. Instacart intends to expand Clementine's availability to the rest of the US and Canada in the coming months.