Albertsons launches ChatGPT plug-in for Safeway shoppers
Albertsons Companies Inc. is connecting the shopping experience of one of its banners to a leading next-gen artificial intelligence engine.
The Safeway banner of Albertsons is offering a new plug-in designed to help customers discover products, evaluate options and complete shopping in the OpenAI generative AI model ChatGPT while remaining in control of their purchasing decisions.
Using ChatGPT, shoppers can activate the Safeway plug-in and ask for what they need in natural language, including shopping from a recipe, photo or digital list. The experience is designed to translate customer requests and preferences into a tailored shopping experience by connecting with relevant Safeway products, cart and checkout services.
Customers remain in control of their cart and purchasing decisions and can review or modify items before completing checkout. Users will be redirected to the Safeway platform to check out.
How it works
- Customers open ChatGPT, click on “Plugins” in the ChatGPT sidebar and search “Safeway.” They can then select the plug-in and connect it directly. Users will be prompted to sign in to their Safeway account.
- Shoppers then start a new prompt and type “@Safeway" into any ChatGPT conversation. ChatGPT will automatically surface the plug-in.
- Customers start with a grocery request, such as “Reorder my weekly shopping list” or “What ingredients should I add to my omelet?” ChatGPT will help customers discover products based on their requests and preferences, surface relevant Safeway options and assist customers in adding selected items to their cart.
- Customers can review their cart and make changes. They will then be directed to check out on the Safeway platform. Shoppers remain in control throughout the experience and can review, compare, modify or remove suggested products before completing any purchase.
“We are on a mission to power our customers at every touchpoint with AI to deliver a seamless shopping experience that’s faster, easier and more enjoyable,” said Jill Pavlovich, senior VP of digital customer experience for Albertsons Cos. “Research tells us that consumers are increasingly interested in using AI to help with grocery shopping. By enabling our plugin in ChatGPT, we are making grocery shopping as simple as having a conversation by meeting our customers when and how they choose to shop. This is another practical way we are using AI to reduce friction and make everyday shopping easier.”
Albertsons deploys AI for shoppers
Albertsons has been leveraging AI, including ChatGPT, for a variety of customer-facing workflows during the past couple of years. In December 2024, the grocer began leveraging the Preferabli Sensorial AI platform to deliver a personalized experience to select customers in California (including Safeway) shopping its Vine & Cellar Reserve direct-to-consumer wine platform.
In September 2025, Albertsons became the first retailer to leverage the Google Cloud Conversational Commerce agent in its Ask AI tool. As a result, customers can engage in a natural, multi-turn conversation with Ask AI to let the tool understand their preferences and intent, such as "sweet" vs. "salty" when buying snacks and then receive recommendations for relevant products, as well as for unexpected items that also meet their preferences.
And in December 2025, Albertsons released a new agentic AI-based shopping assistant based on models Open AI to complete shopping tasks for customers. Finally, in February 2026 the company began participating in the OpenAI Ad Pilot Program.
[READ MORE: Albertsons pilots ChatGPT ads ahead of Valentine’s Day]
Consumers entering search terms such as “best flowers for Valentine’s Day” or “chocolates and sweets as a gift” could potentially see distinct and clearly labeled ads from a local Albertsons Cos. banner store. Shoppers choosing to engage with the ad were directed to a dedicated Valentine’s Day destination portal featuring Albertsons deals, gifts and recipes
As of June 20, 2026, Boise-based Albertsons Cos. operated 2,240 retail stores with 1,708 in-store pharmacies, 408 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities.
