DoorDash is launching an AI-powered ordering agent that lets users find food, build a cart, and place orders through Apple Messages without navigating the DoorDash app. The system can understand requests such as “order my usual,” recommend nearby restaurants, and account for different dietary preferences when handling group orders.
The company announced the text-to-order service on Wednesday and is opening a waitlist for US users. The launch expands DoorDash’s use of conversational AI as food delivery companies compete to make ordering require fewer steps.
AI Agent Remembers Previous Orders
Users can ask the agent for a specific dish, describe what they feel like eating, or request recommendations from nearby restaurants. DoorDash says the AI can search local menus, create a suggested cart, and send images of recommended food directly through the text conversation.
The system can also use previous ordering habits to interpret requests. Telling it to “order my usual,” for example, could prompt it to recognize a regular Friday night order without requiring the user to specify the restaurant, dishes, or usual modifications again.
For group orders, the agent can combine different quantities and dietary requirements within the same request. Users can then confirm the order within the text conversation rather than opening the DoorDash app to complete checkout.
The feature extends the company’s existing Ask DoorDash assistant, which already allows users to search for restaurants and products using conversational prompts inside the app.
DoorDash Also Expands Into Drone Delivery
The text-ordering agent arrives as DoorDash competes with Uber Eats and Grubhub while personal AI agents increasingly handle tasks that previously required users to navigate individual apps and websites.
DoorDash also announced new drone delivery tests with selected restaurants in Northern California. The trials are part of DoorDash Air, the company’s effort to use autonomous aircraft alongside its existing delivery network.
DoorDash has not provided a date for when the Apple Messages ordering service will become broadly available beyond the waitlist. For now, the company is limiting access to users in the United States.
Featured image credits: DoorDash
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