Pinterest has unveiled a new experimental application called Ask Pinterest, designed to explore a more conversational approach to shopping and product discovery that could eventually be integrated into the main Pinterest platform. The company also announced several new AI initiatives, including Pinterest Model Context Protocol (MCP) for advertisers and additional AI-powered advertising tools.
The announcements come ahead of the Cannes Lions advertising festival, where artificial intelligence is expected to be a major focus as brands, marketers and technology companies explore new ways to enhance advertising performance.
Ask Pinterest is powered by the company’s proprietary Taste Graph, an internal system that maps users to their interests, preferences and visual aesthetics. The experimental application will initially be released on a limited-access basis.
The AI-powered experience expands Pinterest’s traditional visual discovery model into a conversational interface, allowing users to ask questions in natural language and receive personalised recommendations, inspiration and shopping suggestions.
The launch comes as AI chatbots increasingly compete with traditional search engines and online shopping platforms. Companies including Google, OpenAI, Meta and Shopify have all introduced AI-powered shopping and product discovery features in recent months.
Rather than licensing its recommendation data to third-party AI providers, Pinterest has focused on using its own data and user insights to train AI models and develop proprietary AI-powered products.
By launching Ask Pinterest as a standalone application, the company can test new AI technologies and user experiences without affecting the core Pinterest platform used by millions of people worldwide.
Pinterest said the tool is designed to handle more complex and multi-step requests that go beyond conventional search functionality. Examples include planning a dinner party, designing a room over time or discovering products that match a specific aesthetic or lifestyle goal.
The company believes the conversational format will allow AI to better support shopping and inspiration journeys while maintaining context across multiple interactions and sessions.
When users sign in, Ask Pinterest can also utilise saved Pins and Boards to personalise recommendations and generate more relevant responses based on individual preferences and interests.
