Instacart eyes robots to replace many gig shoppers

Instacart is reportedly looking into using robots to replace many of its shoppers in order to cut down on labor costs.

The company would keep some human labor for purchasing certain items like deli products but use robots to gather packaged goods such as cereal and cans of soup in automated fulfillment centers that the company would have to build around the country, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing internal company plans.

The documents were dated July and December of 2020, and people familiar with the situation said the company has fallen behind on its plans.

The fulfillment centers that the plans reference include some standalone facilities and others that would be attached to grocery stores.

The company hasn’t made a decision on which automation providers it would use for the technology, sources told Bloomberg, though Instacart sent out proposals to five companies last year.

When reached for comment, an Instacart spokesperson told The Hill: “We’re constantly exploring new tools and technologies that support the needs of the 600 retailers we partner with and further enable their businesses to grow and scale over the long-term. Shoppers are and will continue to be central to Instacart and our service, and any suggestion otherwise is wholly inaccurate.”

Updated at 11:23 a.m.