Google introduces AI-powered Universal Cart

In a blog post, Alphabet’s (GOOGL) (GOOG) Google introduced Universal Cart, an intelligent shopping cart that works across merchants and across services, so users can add things to their cart while browsing Search, chatting with Gemini, watching YouTube or even reading Gmail. “The moment you add a product to your cart, it gets to work in the background – finding deals and price drops, giving you insights on price history and alerting you when an item is back in stock,” the company said. “It all runs on our Gemini models, so your cart gets even smarter as the models improve. Universal Cart also uses intelligent reasoning to anticipate your needs and help solve problems before they arise. Say you’re building your first custom PC and add a few parts from several retailers to your cart. Your cart will proactively flag any product incompatibilities and suggest alternatives. Since the cart was built on Google Wallet, it understands your payment method perks, loyalty information and merchant offers so it can help you choose. This lets you quickly find opportunities for hidden savings or points without having to remember them yourself.” Universal Cart is rolling out across Search and the Gemini app in the U.S. this summer, with YouTube and Gmail to follow.