Starbucks is launching a beta app inside ChatGPT for drink discovery

Starbucks $SBUX has launched a beta app inside ChatGPT designed to help customers find new drinks, the company said.

To use the integration, open ChatGPT's app directory, enable Starbucks, and include "@Starbucks" in your prompt. You can browse drinks, customize orders, and choose a pickup location within the chat, but you must complete the purchase on the Starbucks app or website. This step is important given how central the loyalty program is to Starbucks' business model.

"Customers aren't always starting with a menu," Paul Riedel, Starbucks SVP of digital and loyalty, said in a statement. "They're starting with a feeling... We wanted to meet customers right in that moment of inspiration and make it easier than ever to find a drink that fits."

The ChatGPT integration is part of a broader effort by Starbucks to reverse a traffic slump. Measures taken under the "Back to Starbucks" plan have ranged from restoring in-cafe seating and streamlining the menu to restructuring the tiers within its rewards program. Those efforts appear to be gaining traction: CNBC noted that the fiscal first quarter ending Dec. 28 marked the first period of positive traffic growth after two straight years of customer losses.

Drink discovery has also become a tool for attracting younger customers. According to CNBC, younger consumers — particularly Gen Z — place greater value on distinctive, customizable drinks when choosing where to go.

This is not Starbucks' first time using generative AI or working with OpenAI. Last year, they launched Green Dot Assist, an AI tool for baristas, with help from Microsoft $MSFT Azure's OpenAI platform. CNBC also notes that other retailers like Walmart $WMT, Etsy, and Booking.com are testing ways to sell through ChatGPT.