DoorDash: orders via third-party AI agents remain in the hundreds
DoorDash disclosed that third-party AI agents (Muse, Instinct, Fo) have generated only a few hundred orders over their entire operating period, compared to nearly 1 billion total orders in Q3 2026. CEO Tony Xu called this very low usage.
When reporting its third-quarter 2026 results, DoorDash stated that orders brokered by third-party AI agents (Muse, Instinct, and Fo were mentioned) reached only a few hundred over the entire time these agents have been operating. CEO Tony Xu called this a very low use case, given that the company processed nearly 1 billion orders in total during the same quarter; according to the 2025 annual report, that amounts to an average of 3 million deliveries per day.
According to Xu, users still order predominantly directly through the DoorDash app. He sees the potential of AI agents more in long-considered purchases and complex decisions, where an agent could act proactively in the background, rather than in simple tasks like ordering food.
At the same time, DoorDash is developing its own agentic tools: the Ask DoorDash chatbot launched in June, a CLI agent from July, and a text-to-order agent from September, and it has released an MCP protocol enabling ordering from other chatbots, including for corporate orders. The company says it wants to better understand agentic use cases and build relationships with third-party agent developers, including the future possibility of advertising directly within these agents.
The article also mentions that websites are deciding differently on whether to allow agents access to their content. Amazon blocks such personal agents, while Walmart actively facilitates their access.
Why it matters
The figure highlights the gap between the media hype around agentic commerce and actual user behavior for simple, quick purchases. For e-commerce companies, it's a signal that integration with third-party AI agents does not yet bring measurable business volume, while investing in proprietary agentic tools and controlling third-party access, as with Amazon versus Walmart, may have greater strategic significance.
What was added since the original report
Verified updates
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Specific third-party agents recorded by DoorDash: Muse, Instinct, Fo; DoorDash released its own agents: Ask DoorDash (June 2026), CLI agent (July 2026), text-to-order (September 2026); DoorDash published an MCP protocol for agent integration; Amazon blocks agents, Walmart allows them access; Comparison with 3 million daily deliveries from the 2025 report
- Specific third-party agents recorded by DoorDash: Muse, Instinct, Fo
- DoorDash released its own agents: Ask DoorDash (June 2026), CLI agent (July 2026), text-to-order (September 2026)
- DoorDash published an MCP protocol for agent integration
- Amazon blocks agents, Walmart allows them access
- Comparison with 3 million daily deliveries from the 2025 report
Two audiences, two different impacts
What this means
For individuals
Ordering through AI agents is still practically unused for simple tasks like food delivery, people still go directly to the DoorDash app, so the real benefit of agents for everyday quick purchases is minimal for now.
For a business
Companies considering e-commerce integration with AI agents should assume that the volume of orders placed through third-party agents is currently negligible. DoorDash is therefore investing in its own tools (Ask DoorDash, a CLI agent, text-to-order, MCP) and is considering advertising within agents, while websites handle the question of external agent access differently (Amazon blocks it, Walmart allows it).
Sales and marketingCheck the original
Event sources
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