OpenAI has launched a new development in the ChatGPT service: A shopping experience that allows users to receive product recommendations with direct purchase buttons. The service is based on a combination of the user's personal information and online product reviews, offering a more personalized shopping option compared to traditional Google searches. The purchases themselves will take place on external merchants' websites, not within ChatGPT. The company emphasizes that the search results are organic and not paid advertisements.
OpenAI announced that from now on, ChatGPT users will be able to use the new system to find and select products for direct purchase. The service will include purchase buttons that redirect users to store websites, but will not allow completing the transaction within ChatGPT itself. During a pre-launch demonstration, examples were shown of product searches like espresso machines and office chairs, which were tailored to the user's preferences and reviews taken from various review websites and online forums.
Each week, ChatGPT performs over a billion web searches, with popular shopping categories including beauty products, home furniture, and electronics. The new system operates in a way similar to the Google Shopping interface, where a selection of products from various retailers is displayed on the side of the screen. However, unlike Google, the results in ChatGPT are organic and not influenced by paid placement.
The product selection for recommendations is not based solely on keywords, but on a deep understanding of user reviews and various information sources, aiming to create a more conversational and personalized shopping experience. Users will be able to specify the types of reviews they prefer, such as professional reviews versus user reviews from websites like Reddit.
The launch of the shopping feature in ChatGPT raises questions about how shared revenue will be distributed between OpenAI and content sites that produce product reviews. At this stage, the company is focused on improving the user experience but does not rule out the possibility of future revenue-sharing models from sales. It is estimated that revenue from the service could eventually become a significant component of the company’s income, as part of OpenAI's ambitious goal of reaching $125 billion in revenue by 2029.
This new move joins a series of similar developments introduced by OpenAI in 2025, including the AI agent "Operator," which is capable of independently navigating web browsers and assisting users with purchases. Competitors such as Perplexity and Google have also recently integrated AI-powered shopping solutions, indicating a growing trend to incorporate smart shopping as an integral part of the online search experience.