Apps & Consumer
DoorDash launches a text-to-order AI agent on Apple Messages
DoorDash is rolling out an AI agent that lets users order food by texting through Apple Messages, while also opening a drone-delivery pilot in Northern California.
DoorDash announced on Wednesday that it’s launching a text-to-order AI agent that lets users place orders through Apple Messages. Users can send prompts like “order my usual,” and the agent is designed to understand context — for example, recognizing a recurring Friday night order.
DoorDash says the agent can also handle more specific requests: users can name a particular dish or ask for a local recommendation, and it will search nearby spots, suggest a cart based on the prompt, and even text back photos of the food it’s recommending. For group orders, DoorDash says the agent can account for mixed dietary preferences and different quantities within a single order.
The move is aimed at giving DoorDash an edge over rivals Uber Eats and Grubhub, and arrives as more companies push to roll out personal AI agents that can complete tasks — like ordering dinner — without requiring users to open an app or navigate a website themselves.
DoorDash is opening a waitlist for U.S. users to try the new feature.
Alongside the AI agent, DoorDash also announced it will begin testing its delivery drones with select restaurants in Northern California.
Why it matters
Text-based ordering is DoorDash’s bet that conversational AI agents — not apps — will become the default way people interact with delivery services, a shift that could reshape how it competes for both users and restaurant partners.