ChatGPT’s new shopping feature ramps up rivalry with Google
The new capability signals OpenAI’s ambition to compete with Google in a market the latter has controlled for decades
OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT is now helping users find products online, enhancing its challenge to Google amid regulatory pressure on the search giant’s market dominance.
The new shopping capability further blurs the line between AI chatbots and search engines, signalling OpenAI’s ambition to compete with Google in a market the latter has controlled for decades.
“Search has become one of our most popular and fastest-growing features, with over a billion web searches just in the past week,” the San Francisco-based company said in a post on X.
The update allows shoppers to find and compare items through natural conversation, then connect directly to merchants for purchases.
“Instead of scrolling through pages of results, you can simply start a conversation,” OpenAI’s post said, adding that users could also ask follow-up questions or compare products.
ChatGPT’s shopping feature initially focuses on fashion, beauty and home electronics. Product recommendations are personalised and come from the web, not advertisements, OpenAI said.