ChatGPT Introduces New Shopping Feature, Advancing Towards AI Agency

OpenAI Expands Shopping Features for ChatGPT

OpenAI has enhanced the shopping capabilities of ChatGPT, enabling users to receive recommendations, compare prices, and navigate to shopping platforms all in one go, moving towards a more intuitive and proactive AI assistant.

ChatGPT Expands Chatbot Services with New Shopping Features

According to Bloomberg, users can now quickly compare products and click on links within ChatGPT to make purchases on external websites. This feature is currently available for a limited number of categories, including electronics, fashion, beauty, and home goods, but it is expected to expand to more product categories in the future.

OpenAI is continuously working to position ChatGPT as a versatile application that combines the functionalities of a search engine, voice assistant, and video generator. This initiative aims to increase the time users spend using the chatbot and help ChatGPT stay ahead of competing services from Anthropic, Google, and Elon Musk’s xAI. The AI search startup Perplexity AI Inc. has also expanded its shopping capabilities.

Complete Recommendations, Price Comparisons, and Shopping Links

Users can inquire about products they wish to purchase in ChatGPT, set price ranges and other preferences, and request recommendations for suitable items along with price comparisons across platforms. When providing product descriptions and recommendations, ChatGPT will also include links to sources, making it easier for users to verify information and saving them considerable time.

However, ChatGPT currently does not have a built-in shopping feature. This means that you cannot directly make purchases of physical or virtual goods within ChatGPT. Currently, ChatGPT primarily offers:

• Information queries
• Shopping suggestions
• Assistance in finding the correct platforms or processes for purchasing items
• Guidance on product comparisons, price differences, and purchasing steps

In certain specific scenarios, if you are using “ChatGPT with Browsing” or third-party applications (such as e-commerce sites with API access), ChatGPT can help you find purchase links, but actual transactions will redirect you to external platforms (such as Amazon, Shopee, Taobao, etc.).

An OpenAI spokesperson stated that the company will not charge affiliate revenue for purchases made through ChatGPT.

Future Direction Towards AI Agent Models

In the future, AI will increasingly resemble “an understanding assistant” rather than just a “Q&A machine,” and ChatGPT is evolving towards an AI Agent model, which is an inevitable trend.

In the future version of ChatGPT, you might encounter scenarios like:

• “Help me find three home coffee machines under 5000 yuan, compare specifications, and place an order” → ChatGPT automatically queries → compares → places an order (after your confirmation)
• “Help me schedule a workout plan for August and sync it to my Google Calendar”

Users will no longer need to give “step-by-step instructions”; instead, they can set goals, and ChatGPT will handle the details autonomously.

OpenAI has begun testing the “Memory feature” (to be released in 2024 and expanded in 2025), allowing ChatGPT to remember personal settings and historical conversations. In the future, ChatGPT will no longer just be a conversational partner; it will evolve into a digital assistant that understands you better and can help you complete many tasks.

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