Recent data suggests that the use of personal AI assistants for ordering Uber rides is minimal. During Uber’s third-quarter earnings discussion, the company revealed that only four rides were completed via AI during its peak week in October, coinciding with Halloween.
In contrast, there was a slightly higher usage of AI for food orders through Uber Eats, though the figures remained modest when compared to the total rides and orders processed.
Uber’s CFO, Balaji Krishnamurthy, informed analysts that the company managed approximately 320 million trips and orders across both their ride-hailing and food delivery services during the Halloween week, yet only 500 of those Uber Eats orders were placed through an AI assistant.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi commented on the limited effectiveness of AI in facilitating orders, stating, “It is still in its infancy, and we are observing very little engagement thus far. We are optimistic about increased adoption moving forward.”
The unexpectedly low activity rates from AI agents emerge amid increasing excitement surrounding a new generation of AI tools designed to perform tasks beyond mere inquiry. This includes a surge in personal AI startups, such as Instinct, which achieved a valuation of $10 billion in its latest funding round. Moreover, Meta’s Muse app topped the Apple U.S. App Store and surpassed 10 million users, with many leveraging it for shopping and business transactions.
In addition, major companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and SpaceXAI (Grok), along with various smaller enterprises, are launching their AI agents.
Despite the rising trend, initial reports from public companies indicate that AI-assisted transactions still have significant room for growth. DoorDash previously announced that it received only a few hundred orders through AI agents, with most customers still choosing to use the traditional DoorDash app.
Uber seems to reflect similar consumer behavior. Khosrowshahi noted that booking a ride in their app only takes an average of 50 seconds, and reordering a favorite meal takes just 90 seconds, implying that AI agents may not be providing a substantial time-saving advantage.
Nevertheless, Khosrowshahi expressed enthusiasm for the potential of AI agents, stating, “We view this as a new opportunity for our platform and believe it will positively impact ecosystem demand.”
Currently, Khosrowshahi highlighted that there are about eight prominent AI assistants available, with an anticipation that this number will surpass ten in the future.
“Every AI company is reaching out to us,” he further noted.
