Gemini AI Takes Aim at Instacart and Uber

Google highlighted an agentic artificial intelligence feature that will soon be added to its Gemini app Tuesday (March 3) when outlining new features of its Pixel smartphones.

In a Tuesday blog post announcing the latest features, Michal Levin, director, product management, wrote: “Let Gemini handle your busy work. From ordering groceries to booking a rideshare service to reordering your usual coffee, Gemini works with your apps in the background to complete everyday tasks.”

Google announced in a Wednesday (Feb. 25) blog post that some smartphone users will soon be able to ask the Gemini app to book a ride or order groceries or a meal.

This will be enabled by a new Gemini feature that will perform multistep tasks in the background while the user is free to keep using the phone, according to the post.

The capability will launch “soon” as a beta feature in the Gemini app for Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S26 series smartphones, initially in the United States and South Korea, the post said.

To preserve safety and privacy, the feature will only begin the automations with the user’s command and will stop when the task is complete; will provide notifications to users so they can monitor its progress and stop it as needed; and can access only a limited number of apps, not the whole device, per the post.

“The beta feature will be initially available for select apps in the food, grocery and rideshare categories,” the post said, adding that the feature is “just getting started.”

DoorDash said in a Wednesday post on X that it is participating in this feature. “Order groceries or a meal on DoorDash, all while still using your phone,” the company said.

Samsung highlighted this feature in a Thursday (Feb. 26) press release announcing the introduction of its Galaxy S26 series phones.

“Once set up, tasks can be completed with a single button press or voice prompt,” Samsung said in the release. “Galaxy S26 can also handle multistep tasks in the background, streamlining the process on the user’s behalf. For example, with Gemini, booking a taxi is as simple as asking, reviewing the details and tapping confirm.”

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