Albertsons Companies is expanding its collaboration with OpenAI to enhance the retail experience through AI-driven tools. The company has launched a new Safeway plugin within ChatGPT, enabling customers to streamline grocery shopping through conversational interactions.
Albertsons Expands OpenAI Partnership with New Safeway Plugin in ChatGPT
The plugin allows users to perform tasks such as discovering new products, reordering frequently purchased items, and building shopping carts based on recipes, photos, or digital lists. By translating natural language requests into actionable shopping steps, the tool helps users move from meal inspiration to checkout. Once items are added to the cart, users are redirected to the Safeway platform to complete their purchases.
This rollout is part of a broader initiative by Albertsons to integrate AI into its business operations. Beyond customer-facing features, the retailer is using ChatGPT Enterprise and the OpenAI API to optimize internal workflows, improve decision-making, and generate data-driven promotional insights.
The Safeway experience is planned to expand to other Albertsons Companies brands, including Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, ACME, and Tom Thumb. According to a February 2026 report from dunnhumby, consumers have shown an increasing openness to using AI for grocery shopping compared to other types of purchases.
Sources
- How Albertsons Companies is reimagining retail from the inside out （OpenAI News, 2026-10-01）
- Albertsons Companies Press Release