OpenAI has introduced a powerful new shopping feature in ChatGPT, its flagship AI chatbot, positioning itself as a potential competitor to Google in the product search and e-commerce space. Unlike Google, which often features paid ads in product results, OpenAI emphasizes that its listings are not advertisements—at least not yet.
What the New Shopping Feature Offers
According to OpenAI’s official blog, the shopping update enables ChatGPT to recognize purchase intent in user queries. For instance, if someone types, “I need funny Halloween outfits for my two dogs,” ChatGPT will respond by displaying interactive product carousels. These include detailed product descriptions, links to retailers, and even visuals—providing users with a seamless, in-chat shopping experience. This is available across GPT-4o and 4o-mini models.
This feature is being gradually rolled out to Plus, Pro, Free, and even logged-out users worldwide, marking a significant expansion of ChatGPT’s utility beyond conversational AI and into e-commerce.
Currently, the product listings rely on information from third-party providers. However, OpenAI is exploring ways to allow merchants to directly submit their product feeds, which could lead to a broader product ecosystem within the chatbot.
Could ChatGPT Shopping Become a Revenue Generator?
While OpenAI insists these product results are not sponsored, this naturally raises several questions about future monetization. Could this evolve into a new stream of affiliate revenue? If so, will ChatGPT adopt a model similar to Google, where product visibility can be influenced by advertising payments or affiliate relationships?
These are open questions, but they hint at a potential future where AI chatbots double as marketing platforms. This could blur the lines between user assistance and commercial influence—contradicting the productivity-first narrative AI companies have worked hard to establish.
How ChatGPT Shopping Selects Product Recommendations
ChatGPT doesn’t just display random items. It carefully evaluates user intent using:
✅ The query’s language and context, such as memory or custom instructions,
✅ Product details like price, customer reviews, size, and features, provided by third-party data sources,
✅ Personalized insights (e.g., if you’ve indicated a dislike for clowns, it might avoid suggesting clown-themed costumes),
✅ OpenAI’s internal safety and quality standards.
The AI assesses structured metadata (price, rating, and descriptions) along with qualitative factors such as reviews. It then uses its internal logic to present organically relevant results, not sponsored listings.
However, OpenAI cautions users: AI interpretation isn’t always perfect. ChatGPT might skip over something you’d have considered. Users can guide the AI to refine its suggestions by offering more specifics.
A Clear Challenge to Google’s E-Commerce Approach
Google has already embedded AI in its search engine to help users find products based on query context. But unlike ChatGPT, Google’s product listings often feature paid advertisements. Retailers can bid for visibility, making Google Search a mix of organic rankings and paid placements.
Google also supports affiliate partnerships, allowing product reviewers and publishers to earn a share of purchases made through their links. This revenue-sharing model doesn’t yet exist within ChatGPT’s shopping feature, giving OpenAI a temporary edge in user trust—for now.
The absence of ads in ChatGPT’s product listings may appeal to users seeking unbiased suggestions. But as OpenAI explores monetization, it remains to be seen whether future updates will incorporate sponsored placements, affiliate marketing, or a new advertising model entirely.
What This Means for the Future of AI Shopping
OpenAI’s new feature is more than a simple update—it signals a major shift in how users might research and purchase products online. If widely adopted, ChatGPT could evolve from a productivity assistant to a full-scale AI-powered shopping companion—an area where Google has long held dominance.
Whether this becomes a disruptive force in online commerce depends on how OpenAI handles future monetization, trust, and integration with retailers. But one thing is clear: the battle for AI-driven commerce has officially begun.
