Albertsons Cos. is expanding its work with OpenAI to improve the retail experience for millions of customers, including a new Safeway grocery experience inside ChatGPT.
The new Safeway experience lets shoppers start with a recipe, photo, digital list or simple request such as "Plan pizza night for four" or "Restock breakfast foods and snacks using store brands." ChatGPT surfaces relevant products and savings, helps build a cart and directs customers to Safeway to check out.
"This is another practical way we are using AI to reduce friction and make everyday shopping easier," said Jill Pavlovich, SVP, Digital Customer Experience at Albertsons Companies.
The experience expands on Albertsons' AI shopping assistant and Ask AI capabilities and is planned to grow beyond Safeway to other grocery brands, including Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, ACME and Tom Thumb.
Shoppers are more open to using AI for groceries than for other types of purchases, according to dunnhumby's February 2026 United States Consumer Trends Tracker.
Internally, Albertsons Cos. is expanding its use of AI across the organization through ChatGPT Enterprise and other AI-powered tools. Select teams are exploring ways to streamline work, improve decision-making and identify practices that can scale across the organization, with capabilities developed in focused areas first to build repeatable practices.
Through the OpenAI API, Albertsons Cos. continues to explore how AI can create value on both sides of retail. For customers, that means more personalized assistance with building baskets, repurchasing familiar items and planning recipes and meals tailored to preferences and information provided by the customer.
Behind the scenes, the retailer is combining predictive models with generative AI to deliver explainable, data-driven recommendations and promotional insights, helping merchants evaluate business considerations and make more informed decisions. The work spans more than 2,200 stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, ACME and Tom Thumb, serving over 36 million customers each week.
Full Article: How Albertsons Companies is reimagining retail from the inside out