Enhancement: AI-powered item categorization for shopping list organization

[hvaandres]

Summary

Introduce an AI-powered feature that automatically categorizes shopping list items entered by users. Since Starving is a shopping cart / to-do list app designed to help users know what to buy at the store, intelligent categorization would significantly improve organization and usability.

Description

Currently, items added to the list are uncategorized. As lists grow, it becomes harder for users to quickly understand what they already have and what else might be needed.

By integrating an AI model, the app could automatically assign categories (e.g., Produce, Dairy, Meat, Pantry, Household, Personal Care) to each item as it is added or edited.

Proposed Feature

• Use an AI model to analyze item names and assign an appropriate category
• Automatically categorize items when they are created or updated
• Allow users to manually override or change categories if needed

Expected Behavior

• Items are categorized automatically upon entry
• Users can view items grouped by category
• Users can quickly identify missing items within a category while shopping

Benefits

• Improved list organization and readability
• Faster and more efficient shopping experience
• Reduced cognitive load for users managing long lists
• Foundation for future smart features (recommendations, reminders, insights)

Optional Enhancements

• Suggest additional commonly purchased items based on existing categories
• Learn from user corrections to improve categorization accuracy over time
• Support custom or user-defined categories

Technical Notes (Optional)

• AI model could be rule-based initially, with the option to evolve into an ML/LLM-backed solution
• Categorization logic should be decoupled from UI for flexibility
• Categories should be stored persistently and be editable