News
Careem Launches AI Tool To Convert Grocery Lists To Online Orders
A new in-app feature lets users turn written or photographed grocery lists into instant product selections ready to buy.
Careem—the “everything app” for the Middle East — has introduced an AI-powered feature to simplify grocery shopping through its service. The new Grocery List tool allows users to upload a photo of a handwritten list or enter items manually, which the system then scans and converts into a curated set of product matches.
The tool uses AI to extract individual items from a list — typed or photographed — and presents customers with a single, scrollable page of suggested products. Users can then review, edit, and check out their order in one step, removing the need to search for items manually.
Chase Lario, VP of Careem Groceries, said the goal was to “remove unnecessary steps” and make the process as “efficient and intuitive” as possible. The tool is designed to support time-pressed customers looking for a faster way to handle routine grocery needs.
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The feature is now available within the Careem app under the “Groceries” section. It builds on Careem’s existing grocery delivery service, which operates in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with fulfilment times averaging 15 minutes. Careem Plus members continue to receive free delivery alongside benefits across other categories, including rides, food, and domestic services.
The update reflects a wider push among mobility and delivery platforms to integrate AI for practical, time-saving applications in everyday services.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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