‘What’s for dinner tonight, mom?’ Woolies’ AI chef may have the answer

Upmarket South African grocery retailer Woolworths has launched My Woolies Chef, a new AI-powered food assistant integrated into the Woolworths app.

The company says it attempts to answer one of the most vexing questions facing families: “What’s for dinner tonight?”

It is currently in beta (testing) phase and will be available to selected loyalty programme members from September 2026, with a broader rollout planned in 2027. The beta phase will evaluate customer behaviour, refine recommendation quality and improve overall user experience ahead of the 2027 rollout.

The shopping assistant combines local recipe content, product information and shopping functionality to deliver recommendations that are relevant to the South African customer context and directly connected to what’s available at Woolworths.

My Woolies Chef uses generative and conversational AI to interpret what customers are asking for and return relevant suggestions from a database said to contain thousands of the company’s own recipes compiled over two decades.

Understand the context behind a request

“Unlike a traditional search function requiring customers to browse individual products, categories or recipes, the tool is designed to understand the context behind a request,” a press release from the grocery retailer states.

“A customer can, for example, ask for a quick family dinner using ingredients they already have, a vegetarian meal for two, lunchbox ideas that can be prepped ahead, or a menu that feels easy but impressive for guests.”

Comments Group Data and AI Officer at Woolworths, Jose Rodrigues: “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.”

My Woolies Chef is also a weapon in the heated on-demand home-delivery battle raging between South Africa’s major supermarket chains, all of which are focusing on delivering AI-powered benefits to customers.

Earlier in July, retail group Pick n Pay launched an AI-powered shopping assistant named Penny for customers using its home-delivery platform. And in April this year, the Checkers Sixty60 home-delivery service unveiled its AI-powered shopping assistant named Pixie.