DoorDash says AI agents have placed only several hundred orders so far

In short: DoorDash says ordering food through third-party AI agents is still rare on its platform.

What's going on

DoorDash said on its third-quarter 2026 earnings call that it has received only “several hundred” orders made by third-party AI agents. AI agents are software tools that can take actions for you, like placing an order, based on a request you type (like a digital assistant that can also click buttons).

That number is small compared with DoorDash’s overall business. The company said it completes about 3 million deliveries per day on average, based on its 2025 report.

DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said most customers are still ordering through DoorDash’s own app. He also said the company wants to learn more about “agent” ordering and is open to working with companies building these third-party agents. Xu added that DoorDash might eventually be able to sell ads inside these agents.

DoorDash is also building its own tools. It has launched a text-to-order agent, a way to order from a command line (a text-only screen used by some power users), and a chatbot called Ask DoorDash that can take orders from written prompts and photos. It also released a connector so other chatbots can place DoorDash orders for corporate use.

What to watch

A key question is whether more companies will allow AI agents to access their sites and apps. Some retailers block them, while others encourage them, and that choice could decide how common agent-based ordering becomes.

Source: TechCrunch AI