
Artificial intelligence is broadening its capabilities once again, with shopping and e-commerce emerging as its next frontier. This week, OpenAI announced a new shopping feature for ChatGPT, allowing users to browse, compare, and purchase products directly through the chatbot.¹ The move follows earlier efforts by Perplexity, which launched its own integrated shopping experience for paid users late last year.²
OpenAI’s update gives its 500 million active users access to curated product recommendations across categories like electronics, beauty, and home goods based on simple conversation. ChatGPT can now provide users with shopping links which can lead users to external websites to complete purchases, further embedding the chatbot into daily user habits. Perplexity’s shopping tools, introduced in November 2024, goes one step further. The startup allows users not only to browse but also to complete purchases within the app itself, offering one-click checkout powered by integrations with platforms like Shopify.³
The expansion of AI into e-commerce highlights how models are steadily moving beyond information retrieval and into other ecosystems. What was once a time-consuming process—navigating between fragmented shopping websites and researching product specs— can now be streamlined by AI’s ability to interpret nuanced, conversational queries. For users, the promise is faster, more intuitive shopping; for AI firms, it represents a new potential avenue for monetisation, as well as deeper integration into the consumer’s everyday life.
However, these developments also point to growing competition. Sensing the heat, tech giants are racing to define the “AI shopping experience”. Amazon’s Rufus shopping assistant and Google’s smart shopping tabs are both efforts to integrate AI into their respective e-commerce ecosystems.⁴ However, maintaining trust, transparency, and search neutrality will be critical as companies refine these services and as regulators watch closely.
The latest moves in AI-driven e-commerce are another reminder that AI’s influence is steadily expanding. As capabilities grow and new applications emerge, the AI megatrend shows no signs of slowing, evolving into a structural transformation across industries.
Access Artificial Intelligence with GXAI.
Looking for more ETF Express? Check out this week’s Market Moves and Commodity Calls.