Instacart Rolls Out AI-Powered Smart Carts in NYC Stores, Offering Shoppers Discounts and Self-Checkout Despite Some Glitches
• Instacart debuted AI-powered "smart carts" called Caper Carts in some New York City supermarkets like Fairway and ShopRite
• The carts use AI to identify items, prices, and weights; allow self-checkout; and offer shoppers discounts and savings
• Customers have provided mostly positive feedback about the high-tech carts, praising the discounts and self-checkout
• Some drawbacks mentioned were glitches detecting items, heavy weight of the carts, and high price tag (~$10K per cart)
• Upcoming cart capabilities to include in-store mapping and recipe recommendations based on items placed in cart