In search of a world where consumers’ smart refrigerators tell them when to stock up on pickles or mayonnaise, Instacart and Samsung announced a new collaboration on order recommendations.

Their partnership will integrate artificial intelligence and Instacart’s order recommendations into certain models of Samsung refrigerators.

How Instacart integration with Samsung refrigerators works

Samsung’s 2025 Bespoke refrigerator models come with different types of screens — including the 32-inch AI Family Hub+ and the new 9-inch AI Home. They will enable consumers to replenish their favorite grocery items through Instacart by leveraging the Vision AI food recognition technology. Samsung’s Bespoke models retail for approximately $3,000.00

Using the fridge’s built-in AI, consumers can manage their food inventory and replenish the refrigerator’s contents through Instacart.

Jeong Seung Moon, executive vice president and head of the consumer experience team for the digital appliances business at Samsung Electronics, touted the new partnership.

“The combination of Samsung’s key technology and Instacart’s outstanding online grocery shopping platform will be a great example of how partnership can create a new level of convenience,” Moon said.

Instacart was equally bullish.

“We’ve all dreamt of a refrigerator that could replenish itself, and now thanks to this partnership with Samsung, that’s no longer the stuff of science fiction,” stated Daniel Danker, chief product officer at Instacart.

Proving the new features’ practical value

Ellis Verdi, a retail expert and president of New York City-based ad agency DeVito/Verdi, expressed skepticism.

“This feels like a gimmick,” Verdi said. He referred to it as “technology in search of a business,” noting that grocery shopping may be one of those experiences best left to the individual.

“We like choosing and changing up what we buy,” Verdi explained. “It’s the little efforts we do in our lives that make it interesting, different, special.”

Still, he assessed that this could be a good option for someone who has very predictable shopping habits and the disposable income to replenish at will.

“There are some constant needs that this might benefit, but even then, we may want to be more in control,” Verdi stated.

Verdi says, though, that whether this partnership succeeds or not, we can expect to see more such AI-infused retail ventures.

“This is something we will certainly see more of,” he noted. “And if it’s truly a need that is a burden to satisfy, we might be happy with AI, but the geeks can’t invent something that reduces friction at every turn only to be left without a chance to take a stroll to go shopping once and a while.”

Instacart has been ramping up its partnerships over the past year, announcing initiatives with Home Depot and Kohl’s.

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