Woolworths has unveiled an AI-powered food assistant that uses conversational AI to help customers find recipes, plan meals and shop for ingredients through its mobile app.
Called My Woolies Chef, the tool will be made available to a limited group of MyDifference loyalty programme members from September as part of a beta test, before a wider rollout planned for early 2027.
The assistant is built around Woolworths' food offering and draws on more than 20 years of Woolworths TASTE recipes to recommend meals based on ingredients, dietary preferences, household size or specific occasions.
The AI assistant is designed to understand natural language prompts. Customers can ask for suggestions such as quick family dinners, vegetarian meals, lunchbox ideas or recipes using ingredients they already have.
According to Woolworths, recommendations are generated from its recipe database and take into account locally available ingredients and seasonal relevance.
Jose Rodrigues, group data and AI officer at Woolworths, says the tool aims to simplify meal planning by allowing customers to describe what they need in everyday language rather than searching through multiple categories.
“Conversational AI allows customers to engage with Woolworths’ food content and digital shopping experience in a more intuitive way. Instead of navigating multiple searches, they can describe what they need in everyday language and receive suggestions that are relevant to the context of their request. Our focus is on developing the technology responsibly, testing it through a phased rollout and improving the experience through customer feedback.”
The retailer says it will use the beta phase to evaluate customer behaviour, improve the quality of recommendations and refine the user experience before a broader launch.
Once a customer selects a recipe, the ingredients can be added to a Woolies DASH shopping basket. Users can also adjust ingredient lists to exclude items they already have at home.
Rodrigues says My Woolies Chef reflects Woolworths’ focus on using AI in ways that are practical and centred on real customer needs. Over time, the tool could support more personalised meal planning, smarter shopping lists and budget-conscious recommendations.
“Our goal is to make technology truly useful by solving real customer problems,” he says. “My Woolies Chef is a practical example of how AI can support customers in everyday moments, while enhancing the way they plan, shop and cook.”
Woolworths joins a growing number of South African grocery retailers investing in AI to improve the shopping experience. Shoprite Group has introduced AI-powered features on its Checkers Sixty60 app, including personalised shopping recommendations and smarter search, while Pick n Pay has also expanded its use of AI and digital tools to enhance customer engagement and its Pick n Pay asap! grocery delivery app.
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