Instacart announced on September 22, 2026 that Meta’s Muse will connect to its grocery systems. Instacart’s chief technology officer, Anirban Kundu, wrote that “Muse will be the latest AI platform to connect to Instacart’s grocery infrastructure.” Instacart lists the Muse connection as coming “soon.” It isn’t described as live.
An earlier version of this article said Muse already turns a spoken request into a real cart. The sources we reviewed don’t support that, so we corrected the article to match what Instacart actually said.
What’s new
- Muse joins Instacart’s connector program, announced September 22, 2026.
- Per Mass Market Retailers, users will be able to turn requests such as meal ideas or ingredient lists into carts of products available at participating retailers.
- Instacart’s systems also weigh product availability, promotions, and customer preferences, according to that report.
What stays the same or isn’t confirmed
- Instacart already connects to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and AI Mode in Google Search.
- No launch date, store count, or price to the user for the Muse connection.
- Instacart’s own assistant, Clementine, is a separate product that we cover elsewhere.
How the connector idea works
Instacart runs a program that places its grocery tools inside other AI products. It says those connectors can offer a simple path to creating an account and placing a first order. Muse would be the next one. The route differs from Clementine: you’d ask Muse, not open the Instacart app. Mass Market Retailers reported on September 28 and used future tense throughout, with no launch date.
Muse so far
Meta launched Muse on September 8, 2026 as a personal AI agent. Axios reports it started in the U.S. on iOS, Android, and the web. TechCrunch reports it reached the top of the U.S. App Store on September 18. Download estimates vary by tracker: Appfigures put installs near 2.3 million, Sensor Tower above 3.4 million, and Apptopia at 4.3 million, as of September 25.
The reviews are less rosy. Slate’s Alex Kirshner, writing on September 23, asked Muse to book flights and said it failed, stopping at a captcha page. He booked the flights himself for just over $500. In another test, Muse added a calendar event that was two hours and 40 minutes in the past. The review doesn’t mention groceries or Instacart, so it tells us nothing about how the grocery connection will perform. It’s still a reason to check carts before paying.
A few things we left out because we couldn’t back them up. The “nearly 100,000 stores” figure describes Instacart’s network overall, and Instacart didn’t say Muse will reach that many. No source says the Muse feature is live, so we can’t say how long an order takes. We removed an unsourced “most common request” claim, a quote from an unnamed early user, and grocery-trip time statistics, since the page we found cites no original study for them.
Why It Matters to You
- If you already use Muse, you could turn a meal idea or ingredient list into a grocery cart without opening the Instacart app. Busy households would feel that most.
- It’s not live yet. Instacart has not given a store list or a price.
- Until it ships, check any cart before you pay.
Quick answers
Can I order groceries through Muse today? Instacart lists the Muse connection as coming soon. We found no confirmation that it’s live.
Which stores will work? Instacart says carts will use products available at participating retailers. It hasn’t published a store list for Muse.
Will it cost extra? Instacart didn’t mention pricing for the Muse connection. Muse itself has a free tier and paid plans, according to Axios.
What other AI tools connect to Instacart? Instacart lists ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and AI Mode in Google Search as current connectors.
Sources
- Instacart: Instacart to bring personalized grocery shopping to Muse from Meta (Sep 22, 2026)
- Mass Market Retailers: Instacart brings grocery shopping to Meta’s Muse (Sep 28, 2026)
- TechCrunch: Meta is putting its muscle behind Muse as the AI app takes off (Sep 25, 2026)
- Slate: Meta Muse AI app review (Sep 23, 2026)
- Axios: Meta Debuts Muse, Its Long-Planned Personal AI Agent (Sep 8, 2026)