Executives at Uber, DoorDash and Airbnb say AI shopping agents still drive almost none of their business, according to a Fortune report published November 10. The comments came from third-quarter earnings calls held between October 29 and November 5. Big AI companies, including Meta and OpenAI, have pitched agents that book rides, order food and shop for consumers.
That gap matters for drivers, couriers, hosts and solo sellers. Their income still depends on people opening an app and ordering for themselves. The hype around agent commerce has not yet changed where demand comes from.
What The Companies Actually Reported
Uber offered the starkest numbers. During the week of Halloween, AI agents booked four rides and 500 Uber Eats deliveries. Uber handled 320 million rides and food orders that same week, per Fortune.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi noted that a typical customer orders a ride in about 50 seconds and an Uber Eats meal in about 90 seconds. That speed leaves little room for an agent to help. He still said Uber is negotiating with AI developers, telling analysts, “Every single AI system company is talking to us.”
DoorDash CEO Tony Xu put agent volume at “maybe several hundred orders” since the agents went live. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said agents account for a tiny share of nearly half a million daily bookings. He added that 80% of travelers enjoy researching their own trips.
Why This Matters For Self-Employed Gig Workers
Couriers and drivers can stop worrying that outside AI agents will soon reroute their order flow. The bigger shift is happening inside the apps. Uber’s Cart Assistance builds a grocery basket from a photo of a handwritten list, and Khosrowshahi said those baskets run about twice the average size.
Larger baskets can mean heavier deliveries and different tip math for shoppers. DoorDash also offers text ordering and list building from photos. These in-app tools may change the type of orders you see more than any outside agent will.
Hosts and solo sellers face a similar picture. Airbnb plans its own trip-planning agent early next year, according to Chesky. Platforms seem to prefer building agents they control rather than handing customers off to general-purpose bots.
What Self-Employed Workers Should Do Next
Track how in-app AI features change your work. Note whether larger baskets, new order types, or changed pickup patterns affect your hourly earnings. Keep a simple log so you can compare weeks.
Sellers and hosts should keep their listings clear and complete. Platform-built agents will likely draw on listing details when they make suggestions. Accurate titles, photos, and policies give you the best shot when those tools start to recommend options.
What To Watch Next
Watch the terms Uber reaches with outside AI developers. Those deals could decide how agent-placed orders reach couriers and how fees get split. DoorDash already lets customers text their usual order to an AI agent, and its next earnings call will show whether that feature gains users.
Consumer trust remains the key hurdle. Talkdesk marketing director Michael Klein told Fortune that agentic commerce “still needs to earn shoppers’ trust and buy-in.” Until that happens, human customers will keep driving the orders that pay gig workers.
Photo by Andrea De Santis: UnSplash
