OpenAI just made it possible to buy things directly from ChatGPT.
Starting today, all ChatGPT users in the U.S. can use a new feature called Instant Checkout to purchase items from Etsy sellers without leaving the chat. OpenAI says more than a million Shopify merchants, including Glossier, SKIMS, and Spanx, are coming soon.
For now, Instant Checkout only supports single-item purchases, but OpenAI plans to add multi-item carts and expand to more merchants and regions.
The company also announced it’s open-sourcing the technology that powers Instant Checkout, the Agentic Commerce Protocol. Developed with payment processor Stripe, the protocol is meant to serve as a standard for AI-driven shopping and to make it easier for developers to integrate their stores with ChatGPT.
This move puts OpenAI one step closer to its bigger goal of creating a fully functional AI agent. The industry as a whole is racing to launch so-called AI agents, virtual assistants that can theoretically handle tasks like writing reports, booking travel, shopping online, and scheduling appointments.
Just last week, OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT Pulse, which conducts relevant research for users and connects to their email, calendars, and other apps to deliver a daily morning briefing. Another feature introduced this year, ChatGPT Agent, also links to users’ apps but still needs explicit prompts to carry out tasks.
And in January, the company unveiled OpenAI Operator, a tool that can fill out online forms and place orders on its own—though shoppers still have to manually enter payment info at checkout.
But one thing is becoming clear as the age of AI agents approaches: they’ll need access to a lot of our personal data to work properly, if they work at all.
How Instant Checkout works
A lot of ChatGPT users already turn to the chatbot for online shopping recommendations.
Now, when a user asks something like “gift ideas for a housewarming” or “best running shoes under $100,” products that support Instant Checkout will display a “Buy” option. Users who tap on “Buy” will then confirm their order, shipping, and payment details directly in chat. Those with a ChatGPT subscription can pay with the card already on file or choose another payment method.
The seller then handles the order, shipping, and fulfillment like they normally would. ChatGPT just acts as a middleman, providing the seller with the buyer’s information.
The service is free for users, but sellers will have to pay a small fee on completed purchases. OpenAI also says that items supporting Instant Checkout won’t be given preference in product results and won’t impact its recommendations overall.
However, when ranking sellers of the same product, “whether Instant Checkout is enabled” will be considered to “optimize the user experience.”
