Build an Instacart grocery cart from a chat request
Instacart's integration still needs some work. Task: Instacart's integration still needs some work When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Copy link Facebook Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email AI chatbots are starting to do more than answer questions. They can now order groceries, book services, and interact with apps on your behalf. ChatGPT and Claude have both embraced this new generation of AI "actions," but they don't approach them in quite the same way. To find out how different the experience really is, I asked both chatbots to handle the same Instacart grocery order and watched what happened next. I decided to try the same grocery order through Instacart using both ChatGPT and Claude. The shopping list I used was intentionally simple: infant formula, a small container of ice cream, and some fruit. The goal was not to compare prices or delivery times. It was to find out what happens when two competing AI chatbots are asked to perform the exact same everyday task with the same kind of app. Heading to checkout I started with ChatGPT. After going to the app list and connecting my Instacart account, I told the AI that I needed infant formula, a small container of vanilla ice cream, and some fruit for delivery. The request was intentionally ordinary because ordinary shopping is where these integrations will either succeed or fail. ChatGPT responded quickly with product suggestions and put some options into my cart. ChatGPT did not spend much time discussing possibilities. Instead, it seemed determined to move steadily toward a finished cart. Every response felt designed to remove friction and keep the order moving. I tried ChatGPT's latest Chrome upgrade and it surprised me Can ChatGPT really replace your apps? I tried using the chatbot for 12 everyday tasks on my phone — here’s what happened Research finds AI agents haven't quite mastered real-world browsing tasks despite claiming they can The experience reminded me of a shopper who already knows exactly where everything is located. There was very little wandering through virtual aisles. The assistant simply gathered the items and moved on to the next decision. Once the cart was ready, I said I wanted to check out, and a window opened within the chat confirming what I wanted, my payment method, and the delivery address. A different aisle Claude approached the same task slightly differently. First, I had to link up my Instacart account to Claude as one of its connectors. I then gave it the identical shopping list and waited to see whether its recommendations would diverge significantly from ChatGPT's. Surprisingly, they did not. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Claude suggested similar formula options, similar fruit choices, and similar ice cream products. The overlap was substantial enough that I suspect most shoppers would end up with nearly identical deliveries regardless of which chatbot they used, unless they were very specific in their request. The checkout experience, however, followed a different path. When I was ready to check out, Claude provided a link for me to click, which opened a new tab in my browser right at my Instacart cart, with my account already logged in. It was there that I had to review and complete the purchase. Having the list already assembled made the transition smooth, but it was still a transition. That difference may sound minor, yet it created a noticeably different feeling. ChatGPT felt like it was becoming the shopping destination itself. Claude felt like an extremely capable assistant helping me prepare for a visit to Instacart. So while the actual shopping recommendations differed very little, the AI chatbots diverge in where they put the cart. ChatGPT's vision of the future keeps the transaction inside the conversation for as long as possible. Claude's version treats the conversation as a guide that eventually leads you to the service itself. If you're a fan of Claude, it probably won't deter you from using Instacart with the AI chatbot, but if you have no real preference based on the platform but want minimal friction, you might prefer the all-inclusive ChatGPT experience. Either way, the ice cream tastes just as good. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.; tools: ChatGPT. Human role: The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.; limitations: The test used a single, simple shopping list, so results may not scale to complex orders or specific brand requirements. Integration reliability depends on the AI's ability to correctly map natural language to Instacart's inventory. Users must ensure their Instacart accounts are properly connected and authenticated before attempting these workflows..
Tools
Published on Agent Work Atlas:
Overview
Instacart's integration still needs some work
Workflow
Instacart's integration still needs some work When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Copy link Facebook Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email AI chatbots are starting to do more than answer questions. They can now order groceries, book services, and interact with apps on your behalf. ChatGPT and Claude have both embraced this new generation of AI "actions," but they don't approach them in quite the same way. To find out how different the experience really is, I asked both chatbots to handle the same Instacart grocery order and watched what happened next. I decided to try the same grocery order through Instacart using both ChatGPT and Claude. The shopping list I used was intentionally simple: infant formula, a small container of ice cream, and some fruit. The goal was not to compare prices or delivery times. It was to find out what happens when two competing AI chatbots are asked to perform the exact same everyday task with the same kind of app. Heading to checkout I started with ChatGPT. After going to the app list and connecting my Instacart account, I told the AI that I needed infant formula, a small container of vanilla ice cream, and some fruit for delivery. The request was intentionally ordinary because ordinary shopping is where these integrations will either succeed or fail. ChatGPT responded quickly with product suggestions and put some options into my cart. ChatGPT did not spend much time discussing possibilities. Instead, it seemed determined to move steadily toward a finished cart. Every response felt designed to remove friction and keep the order moving. I tried ChatGPT's latest Chrome upgrade and it surprised me Can ChatGPT really replace your apps? I tried using the chatbot for 12 everyday tasks on my phone — here’s what happened Research finds AI agents haven't quite mastered real-world browsing tasks despite claiming they can The experience reminded me of a shopper who already knows exactly where everything is located. There was very little wandering through virtual aisles. The assistant simply gathered the items and moved on to the next decision. Once the cart was ready, I said I wanted to check out, and a window opened within the chat confirming what I wanted, my payment method, and the delivery address. A different aisle Claude approached the same task slightly differently. First, I had to link up my Instacart account to Claude as one of its connectors. I then gave it the identical shopping list and waited to see whether its recommendations would diverge significantly from ChatGPT's. Surprisingly, they did not. Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Claude suggested similar formula options, similar fruit choices, and similar ice cream products. The overlap was substantial enough that I suspect most shoppers would end up with nearly identical deliveries regardless of which chatbot they used, unless they were very specific in their request. The checkout experience, however, followed a different path. When I was ready to check out, Claude provided a link for me to click, which opened a new tab in my browser right at my Instacart cart, with my account already logged in. It was there that I had to review and complete the purchase. Having the list already assembled made the transition smooth, but it was still a transition. That difference may sound minor, yet it created a noticeably different feeling. ChatGPT felt like it was becoming the shopping destination itself. Claude felt like an extremely capable assistant helping me prepare for a visit to Instacart. So while the actual shopping recommendations differed very little, the AI chatbots diverge in where they put the cart. ChatGPT's vision of the future keeps the transaction inside the conversation for as long as possible. Claude's version treats the conversation as a guide that eventually leads you to the service itself. If you're a fan of Claude, it probably won't deter you from using Instacart with the AI chatbot, but if you have no real preference based on the platform but want minimal friction, you might prefer the all-inclusive ChatGPT experience. Either way, the ice cream tastes just as good. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.
Reported result
Both AI assistants generated similar product recommendations, suggesting minimal divergence in shopping outcomes for generic requests. The key difference was the checkout flow: ChatGPT kept the transaction inside the conversation, whereas Claude required a transition to the external Instacart interface. The author noted that ChatGPT felt like a shopping destination, while Claude acted as a preparatory assistant.
Human role
The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.
Limitations
The test used a single, simple shopping list, so results may not scale to complex orders or specific brand requirements. Integration reliability depends on the AI's ability to correctly map natural language to Instacart's inventory. Users must ensure their Instacart accounts are properly connected and authenticated before attempting these workflows.
Try it
I want to test the Instacart integration capabilities of [ChatGPT/Claude]. First, ensure my Instacart account is connected to the AI assistant. I will provide a shopping list: [replaceable inputs: e.g., 2 gallons of milk, 1 loaf of bread, 1 pack of eggs]. Please search for these items on Instacart and add them to my cart. Do not complete the purchase yet. Show me the final cart contents, including prices and delivery options, for my review. If the items look correct, I will instruct you to proceed with checkout. If you are using ChatGPT, attempt to open the checkout window within the chat. If using Claude, provide the direct link to my Instacart cart. Confirm when the cart is ready for my approval.
Source reports are not independently verified. Publication date is the catalog publication date, not the original article date.