Albertsons brings agentic AI into grocery shopping

Anyone who has ever found a recipe knows the drill: Print or copy the recipe; check to see if the ingredients are in the pantry or fridge; make a grocery list; go to the store and hunt down said ingredients; checkout.

On average, it’s a task that can take about 46 minutes, but one store says its latest technology gets it to four minutes.

Albertsons Companies recently launched its artificial intelligence-powered shopping assistant that can reduce the time it takes to shop to mere minutes, saving customers time and frustration.

“Our goal at Albertsons Companies is to make our customers’ lives easier, and by implementing AI-powered features across the customer journey from discovery to purchase, we are delivering an experience that’s faster, easier and more enjoyable,” said Jill Pavlovich, senior vice president of Digital Customer Experience.

According to the company, it’s agentic AI assistant completed complicated grocery shopping via web browser. “Building on the success of the company’s Ask AI tool introduced earlier this year, the agentic shopping assistant is a customer-friendly conversational experience powered by many collaborative agents, now available on all Albertsons Cos. banner websites as Albertsons AI, Safeway AI, Vons AI, Jewel-Osco AI and more.”

The assistant will help customers plan meals, restock on staple items, find new items and “shop smarter.” Found through the grocery store’s Meals Hub on its website, the AI module will complete tasks from the customer rather than just answer questions a shopper might have.

Examples of tasks Albertsons AI can complete are:

• Quickly reorder weekly essentials and frequent purchases.
• Generate a practical weekly meal plan and shopping list with de-duplicated ingredients added to cart.
• Type or upload an image of a written grocery list, and the assistant will find personalized products for everything on the list.
• Discover recipes using what’s already in the fridge and pantry, saving money and reducing food waste.
• Instantly import an online recipe or image and add ingredients to cart.
• Choose a theme, or let the assistant use the next upcoming holiday, and see curated product ideas with offers.

“We are laser-focused on using AI as part of our strategy to meet customers when and how they choose to shop, ultimately driving customer growth and engagement through digital connection,” Pavlovich said. “The Albertsons AI shopping assistant is an exciting step in this journey, with much more innovation to come.”

Further innovation is planned for the Albertsons AI assistant in 2026, which will include things like budget optimization, in-store aisle location and voice integration, the company stated.