ChatGPT agent assembles an Instacart grocery cart
TechRadar’s Eric Hal Schwartz tested whether AI agents could turn a short grocery request into a usable delivery cart. He gave ChatGPT and Claude the same Instacart shopping task, including infant formula, vanilla ice cream and fruit. The comparison focused on how much of the online shopping process each assistant could complete, rather than on a general recommendation list.
techradar.com
Suggested prompt
Suggested prompt written by Agents In Use, not the source author. Replace bracketed inputs and review tool permissions first.
Use the agent to complete this specific task, show the sources or items it used, and stop for my review before sending, buying or changing anything.
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Sourced account- Source poster / publisher
- Eric Hal Schwartz
- Original account
- Read the source ↗
- Published
- Source link checked
- Reported result
- ChatGPT assembled an Instacart cart for the test list. The article does not report a completed purchase or delivery.
- Human involvement
- The shopper can verify product variants, quantities, delivery details and payment before completing the order.
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How the agent did it
- Schwartz gave ChatGPT and Claude the same short grocery list.
- ChatGPT searched Instacart products and populated a cart with requested groceries.
- The shopper could review the selections and delivery details before checkout.
TechRadar’s Eric Hal Schwartz tested whether AI agents could turn a short grocery request into a usable delivery cart. He gave ChatGPT and Claude the same Instacart shopping task, including infant formula, vanilla ice cream and fruit. The comparison focused on how much of the online shopping process each assistant could complete, rather than on a general recommendation list.
ChatGPT used the Instacart connection to search for products and assemble a cart. Schwartz could inspect the selected items and review the delivery details before checkout. Claude also produced a similar cart through a logged-in browser workflow, so the article is a comparison rather than evidence that only one product can shop. The reported result is a prepared basket, not a completed purchase.
The useful pattern is to ask an agent to gather the requested items while keeping the final review and payment with the person ordering. Grocery catalogs can contain several close matches, package sizes and substitutions; Schwartz’s example is a reminder to inspect the exact products and quantities before paying. The source does not report a delivery, price saving or independent accuracy score, and the available integrations may change over time.
Prompt
Suggested prompt (written by Agents In Use, not the author's)
Source: TechRadar · Eric Hal Schwartz
Frequently asked questions
What items were in the test list?
Schwartz used infant formula, vanilla ice cream and fruit in the grocery request.
Did ChatGPT complete the purchase?
The article describes a cart that the shopper could review before checkout. It does not report that ChatGPT placed or paid for the order.
Was Claude tested too?
Yes. Schwartz gave Claude the same task and reports that it also produced a similar cart through a browser session.
More details
About this account
ChatGPT searched products and assembled a cart. The source leaves review and checkout with the shopper.
The article describes the grocery list and test but does not provide a verbatim prompt. The prompt shown is editorially suggested.
Credit: Eric Hal Schwartz — TechRadar
Source published
Added to Agents In Use
Source checked
Tools and topics
ChatGPT agent · Instacart · Claude
grocery shopping · Instacart · online cart
Editorial completeness: 100/100. Measures documented fields, not agent performance or verified outcomes.