Shopping-GPT – The New Tool In Town
OpenAI’s latest leap into the world of online shopping, ‘Shopping-GPT’, merges conversational AI with e-commerce. From comparing specs to fetching reviews, it’s like having a witty digital shop assistant in your pocket—minus the tea breaks.
In a move that’s bound to ruffle more than just Google’s perfectly ironed search shirts, OpenAI has now waltzed into the world of online shopping with its latest brainchild — Shopping-GPT. Yes, you read that right. Your favourite AI chum has now added “personal shopper” to its ever-growing CV. Before you ask, no, it doesn’t fetch the biscuits and tea just yet, but we live in hope.
Unveiled on a rather ordinary Monday (which is saying something, given AI’s habit of announcing things as if they’re about to reinvent sliced bread), this new feature allows users to search for and browse products across the web without leaving the ChatGPT app. In other words, it’s like having a digital Debenhams at your fingertips — minus the escalators, perfumed air, and mildly judgmental sales assistants.
The feature has been rolled out to Plus, Pro, Free, and even those who haven’t bothered logging in — so practically everyone from tech-savvy teenagers to your Aunt Basu who still thinks “the cloud” is a weather condition can have a go.
OpenAI insists that this isn’t a sly ploy to sneak in ads under the radar. “Product results are chosen independently and are not ads,” they’ve stressed, presumably while side-eyeing Google from across the digital playground. So no, you won’t be bombarded with targeted sock suggestions because you once typed “hiking boots” near your phone.
Here’s how it works in a nutshell (or teacup, depending on your preference): you ask ChatGPT for something — say, a laptop for editing all those holiday videos you’ll definitely finish this year — and it responds with suggestions, complete with prices, specs, reviews, and working (mostly) links to online retailers. Think of it as a conversation with a very well-read shop assistant who doesn’t breathe, blink, or judge your questionable taste in kitchen gadgets.
Early testers have noted a few teething problems — some links that go nowhere and product pictures that seem to have vanished into the ether. But then again, even John Lewis has its off days, doesn’t it?
The whole affair is a bit reminiscent of Google Shopping, but with a more chatty, less “we know everything about you and your cat” vibe. And unlike the competition — Perplexity AI and Elon Musk’s Grok AI — ChatGPT’s approach is a tad more bespoke, asking for your budget and location before offering suggestions. It’s like having Jeeves back, but digital and without the monocle.
The feature is available in the default GPT-4o model (that’s “o” for “omnipotent”, presumably) and is part of a broader upgrade to ChatGPT’s search capabilities — which, OpenAI proudly notes, just clocked over a billion web searches in a single week. Not too shabby for a chatbot that once mistook a platypus for a kitchen utensil.
Oh, and if that weren’t enough, ChatGPT can now also give you live sports scores via text. So if you’re ever in the middle of a curry night and urgently need to know whether Chelsea are still bottling it, just give your AI a buzz.
With OpenAI reportedly eyeing $125 billion in revenue by 2029, one can only assume that Shopping-GPT is the start of a larger plan to take over your digital life, one shopping basket at a time. So, brace yourselves. Next time you’re having a chinwag with ChatGPT, don’t be surprised if it casually asks, “Fancy a new toaster while we’re at it?”
Now, if only it could brew a proper cuppa, we’d be all set.
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