DoorDash adds an AI agent for text food orders
U.S. users can join a waitlist to try ordering through Apple Messages, while DoorDash also starts drone delivery tests with select restaurants.
DoorDash has announced a new AI agent that lets people place food orders by text through Apple Messages. Instead of opening the app and scrolling through menus, users can send a prompt such as “order my usual,” with the system meant to interpret that based on a previous Friday night order. The company is opening a waitlist for U.S. users who want to test the feature. At the same time, DoorDash said it will begin testing delivery drones with select restaurants in Northern California.
Ordering through Apple Messages instead of the app
DoorDash is pitching the feature as a way to make ordering less manual. Users will be able to ask for a specific dish, request a local recommendation, or have the agent build a suggested cart from nearby restaurants.
The company also says the agent can send photos of the food it recommends, which could help people decide more quickly. For group meals, DoorDash says the tool is built to handle different dietary preferences and varying quantities in a single order.
That makes this more than a simple search shortcut. As IT-PUB News reports, DoorDash is framing it as part of a broader shift toward AI tools that act more like assistants than traditional interfaces, taking on some of the browsing and decision-making for the user.
DoorDash is using AI to compete with Uber Eats and Grubhub
DoorDash said the launch is also about competition. By introducing an AI agent for food ordering, the company is trying to gain an edge over Uber Eats and Grubhub.
That matters because food delivery apps already compete on convenience, restaurant selection, and speed. If one platform can make ordering feel easier or more personal, that could become a real advantage for customers who want a faster way to repeat familiar orders or discover nearby options.
The timing also fits a wider push in tech toward personal AI agents that can handle tasks without forcing people to move through apps or websites step by step. For now, though, DoorDash has only announced the feature and opened a waitlist.
Group orders and recommendations become more automated
One of the more notable parts of the announcement is the way the agent is supposed to help with group orders. DoorDash says it can manage mixed dietary preferences and different quantities in one order, potentially reducing some of the friction that comes with ordering for several people at once.
The recommendation feature adds another layer. Instead of simply responding to a direct request, the agent can search local restaurants and suggest a cart based on the prompt. In practice, that could make the process feel more conversational and less like a standard app search.
At the same time, the launch raises a familiar question around AI-driven convenience: how much control people will want to hand over to a system that interprets requests and builds the order for them. DoorDash did not provide additional details in the announcement about how the agent handles mistakes or edge cases.
DoorDash also begins drone delivery testing
DoorDash used the same announcement to reveal another experiment. The company said it will begin testing delivery drones with select restaurants in Northern California.
The source does not provide further details about how the drone testing will work, which restaurants are involved, or when customers might see the results. Even so, the move shows DoorDash pushing automation on two fronts at once — one focused on ordering, the other on delivery.
Taken together, the announcements point to a broader effort to make food delivery more automated from start to finish. For users, that could mean spending less time searching and tapping through menus. For the industry, it suggests competition is extending beyond logistics and into AI-powered convenience features.
