ChatGPT users can now shop with the AI bot, as OpenAI takes on Amazon

ChatGPT users will now be able to use the AI chatbot to shop online after OpenAI launched new tools to take on e-commerce giants like Amazon and Google.

OpenAI said the update aims to make it “faster to find, compare, and buy products” through the viral AI chatbot.

Responses to queries will include pictures of products, up-to-date pricing and direct links to buy.

OpenAI claims that the product results are “chosen independently”, stressing that they “are not ads” and instead based on a user’s shopping intent.

“A product appears in the visual carousel when ChatGPT perceives it’s relevant to the user’s intent,” stated a blog post announcing the update.

“ChatGPT assesses intent based on the user’s query and other available context, such as memories or custom instructions.”

When determining which products to display, ChatGPT will consider general factors like price, customer ratings and reviews. It will also assess more specific criteria, such as sizing and whether the user has previously expressed likes or dislikes for certain things.

OpenAI said that the company’s safety standards would also be taken into consideration, though admitted that mistakes may be made.

The new ChatGPT update, which is rolling out to all users of the AI chatbot, marks a potentially seismic shift in the online retail space.

The global e-commerce market is projected to be worth more than $6 trillion in 2025, with the vast majority of product searches in the US beginning on Amazon and Google, according to Statista.

OpenAI has already taken significant market share from Google when it comes to online search, with chief executive Sam Altman recently revealing that ChatGPT had grown to around 500 million users in April 2025.

Recent research from consultancy firm Bain showing that 80 per cent of consumers rely on AI-generated results for at least 40 per cent of their searches, causing Google’s market share to dip below 90 per cent this year.