Instacart · Instacart Terms of Service · View original document ↗

AI Training and Broad Content License

Medium severity Medium confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Unique · 0 of 343 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

When you submit any content to Instacart (such as photos, reviews, or other materials), you grant Instacart a broad license to use that content, including to train AI systems, on a worldwide, royalty-free basis.

This analysis describes what Instacart's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The terms authorize Instacart to use content you submit for AI model training, which means user-generated content may contribute to machine learning systems beyond its original submission context.

Interpretive note: The scope of what constitutes user-submitted content versus behavioral or transactional data used for AI training is not fully specified in the excerpt available; application to different data categories may vary.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium May 9, 2026

Instacart rewrote its entire Terms of Service, adding 367 new sentences including sections on AI-powered services, updated arbitration procedures, and revised data handling practices. The restructuring makes it harder to compare what changed because the entire document was reorganized.

View change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

User-submitted content such as product photos, reviews, and other materials may be used by Instacart to train AI and machine learning models under this royalty-free, sublicensable license. Users retain ownership of their content but grant Instacart broad rights to use it.

How other platforms handle this

Upwork Medium

By posting or submitting content on or through the Services, you grant Upwork a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully paid, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, copy, modify, create derivative works based on, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, and otherwise exploit in...

Indeed Medium

By submitting content to Indeed, including resumes, job applications, and other materials, you grant Indeed a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, copy, modify, distribute, publish, and process that content in connection with operating and improving...

Glassdoor Medium

By submitting Content to Glassdoor, you grant Glassdoor a royalty-free, sublicensable, transferable, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, publicly perform, and publicly display such Co...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
By submitting content to the Services, you grant Instacart a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content in connection with operating and improving the Services, including for training AI and machine learning models.

— Excerpt from Instacart's Instacart Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1. REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision implicates the CCPA's restrictions on using personal information for purposes materially different from those disclosed at collection, particularly where user-generated content contains personal information. Emerging state AI transparency and training data laws, including those under consideration in California and Colorado, may require additional disclosure or consent for AI training use cases. The FTC has issued guidance on AI transparency and deceptive practices that may apply to undisclosed secondary uses of consumer data. 2. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The license is broad and includes sublicensability and transferability, meaning Instacart may pass training rights to third-party AI vendors or affiliates. The AI training use case represents a secondary use of user content that may not have been clearly anticipated by users at the point of submission, creating potential tension with CCPA's purpose limitation principles. 3. JURISDICTION FLAGS: California CCPA creates the highest exposure for the AI training use case, as it may require a separate disclosure or opt-out mechanism if content containing personal information is used to train AI models. The EU AI Act (for any EU-accessible services) and Quebec's Law 25 may impose additional obligations, though the terms state they govern U.S. and Canada services. 4. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: The sublicensability of the content license means third-party AI model providers receiving training data may need to be identified in data processing agreements or vendor assessments. Procurement teams should confirm whether AI training vendors are covered under existing data processing addenda. 5. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should evaluate whether the privacy notice and cookie consent mechanisms adequately disclose the AI training use case for content containing personal information. A data mapping review should confirm which categories of user-submitted content may flow into AI training pipelines and whether consent or opt-out mechanisms are required under applicable law.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has authority over consumer data practices and AI transparency, including secondary uses of personal information for AI training that may not be clearly disclosed.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
Instacart Terms of Service
Entity
Instacart
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 10, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-011081
Document ID
CA-D-00135
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
d08566866b6a1f744a3e2d1b4fc55f342a5a515684d435b1b477e68768b86a06
Analysis generated
May 10, 2026 00:03 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Instacart
Document: Instacart Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-011081
Captured: 2026-05-10 00:03:25 UTC
SHA-256: d08566866b6a1f74…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/instacart/instacart-terms-of-service/ai-training-and-broad-content-license/
Accessed: June 27, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Instacart's AI Training and Broad Content License clause do?

The terms authorize Instacart to use content you submit for AI model training, which means user-generated content may contribute to machine learning systems beyond its original submission context.

How does this clause affect you?

User-submitted content such as product photos, reviews, and other materials may be used by Instacart to train AI and machine learning models under this royalty-free, sublicensable license. Users retain ownership of their content but grant Instacart broad rights to use it.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Instacart?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Instacart.