Uber says third-party AI agents booked only 4 rides in Q3 2026

In short: Uber says third-party AI agents barely used its platform last quarter, booking just four rides and about 500 food deliveries.

What's going on

Uber executives shared new details about how often “AI agents” are ordering rides and food on Uber. An AI agent is a software helper that can do tasks for you, like booking a ride or ordering dinner (like sending an assistant to run errands).

On an earnings call, Uber said third-party AI agents arranged only four rides during the third quarter of 2026. Uber also said AI agents completed “around 500” Uber Eats deliveries during the week of Halloween. Uber reported about 320 million total transactions across rides and deliveries in the same period.

This is the first time Uber has publicly shared these specific numbers. Some analysts have warned about “disintermediation,” which is when people stop using a company’s app directly because they let another tool do it for them (like ordering through a concierge instead of calling the restaurant yourself). If that shift happened at scale, it could weaken apps like Uber and DoorDash.

Uber’s leadership said the risk looks small so far. They also said they are open to working with outside AI companies to make Uber easier for AI agents to use, while still expecting most customers to keep using the Uber app.

What to watch

The key question is whether AI agents become popular enough that meaningful numbers of people start booking through them instead of the Uber app. Future earnings calls may show whether the “four rides” and “500 deliveries” figures stay tiny or start climbing as more AI agent products reach everyday users.

Source: The Verge AI