Starbucks Brews AI-Powered Drink Picks Inside ChatGPT

Starbucks has launched a beta Starbucks app in OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

With this app, customers using ChatGPT can tag @Starbucks, describe their mood or upload a photo that reflects their mood, and receive recommendations of Starbucks drinks that match their request, the coffee chain said in a Wednesday (April 15) blog post.

Paul Riedel, senior vice president, digital and loyalty at Starbucks, wrote in the post that the company has found that customers often start with a feeling rather than a menu.

“People open chat tools to think out loud—to describe the kind of moment they’re in, or imagine something they want to create,” Riedel wrote. “‘I need something warm and cozy.’ ‘Give me a boost.’ ‘It’s sunny and I want something refreshing.’ Or sometimes a picture says it best.”

“We want to meet customers right in that moment of inspiration and make it easier than ever to find a drink that fits,” Riedel added.

OpenAI announced in October 2025 that it launched a feature that lets ChatGPT users chat with third-party apps while in conversation with the chatbot, together with a software development kit that enables developers to build those kinds of apps.

The new app joins several other artificial intelligence-powered features Starbucks has rolled out.

The company said in a January blog post that these include an AI-powered, real-time companion for coffeehouse partners that is called Green Dot Assist and delivers conversational answers questions about things such as recipes, routines and service standards.

Another AI-powered solution is Starbucks’ Smart Queue technology that sequences orders across cafe, drive-thru, mobile and delivery to keep production running smoothly.

“We design AI to strengthen, not replace, the human connection at the heart of every coffeehouse,” Bhagyesh Phanse, senior vice president, chief data and analytics officer at Starbucks, wrote in the January post. “Our approach is practical and grounded: use AI where it helps partners deliver exceptional craft, deepen customer connection and improve the rhythm of the coffeehouse.”

Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said in January that digital platforms will play an important role in the next stage of the company’s turnaround strategy.

Speaking during an earnings call, Niccol highlighted Green Dot Assist and said that this AI-powered virtual assistant provides a foundation for developing and scaling “thoughtful AI solutions that reduce friction for partners and help them focus on craft and connection with our customers.”