Samsung Electronics recently announced a multi-year partnership with Instacart to introduce shoppable refrigerators that utilize artificial intelligence to monitor their contents. This innovative collaboration combines Instacart’s product-matching API with Samsung’s food-recognition technology, enabling users to order groceries directly from their refrigerator screens. The partnership reflects Instacart’s commitment to expanding shoppable grocery integrations in response to the increased demand for grocery e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Instacart and Samsung partnership represents a significant advancement in the development of the “smart kitchen” experience, which integrates technology with appliances to simplify grocery shopping and meal preparation for consumers. Samsung’s 2025 Bespoke refrigerator models will be the first to feature this technology integration, allowing users to replenish groceries through Instacart using AI food recognition technology. Additionally, existing Samsung AI Family Hub+ refrigerators equipped with AI Vision Inside camera technology will receive the Instacart functionality through a software update.
Samsung’s AI food recognition technology, AI Vision, is capable of identifying up to 37 food items, including fresh fruits and vegetables. Users can manually add the names and expiration dates of food items that the tool does not recognize, although it cannot identify items in refrigerator door bins or the freezer. This partnership builds on Instacart’s publicly available API program, which allows third parties to integrate the company’s functionality into their websites and apps, enabling shoppable ingredients on platforms like New York Times Cooking and generative AI-created recipes for GE Appliances’ smart appliances app.
Other companies, such as Kroger and Whole Foods Market, have also embraced smart kitchen technology. Kroger and GE collaborated to enable grocery shopping directly from select ovens and ranges produced by the appliance company, while Whole Foods partnered with smart oven maker June to automate the cooking of products from the grocer’s 365 Everyday Value line. Instacart’s Chief Product Officer, Daniel Danker, expressed excitement about the possibilities of the partnership with Samsung, stating that the concept of a refrigerator that can replenish itself is no longer confined to science fiction.
The Instacart and Samsung partnership exemplifies the ongoing evolution of the grocery industry towards more tech-driven solutions that enhance the shopping experience for consumers. By leveraging AI and smart technology, companies are able to offer innovative and convenient solutions that cater to the changing needs and preferences of modern shoppers. As the demand for online grocery shopping continues to grow, collaborations like this one pave the way for a more seamless and integrated shopping experience for consumers.