OpenAI is bringing commerce directly into ChatGPT with a new "instant checkout" feature announced on Monday.
Why it matters: The move opens up a new revenue stream for OpenAI and could change the way people shop online.
Driving the news: The feature is launching today with support for Etsy. Support for Shopify and its hundreds of thousands of merchants iscoming soon.
The new feature is available today for Free, Plus and Pro users in the U.S.
OpenAI is also open-sourcing its Agentic Commerce Protocol (co-developed with Stripe), in hopes that other merchants and potentially other AI engines will adopt it.
How it works: Users can pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe or enter their credit card information.
There is no charge to consumers, with OpenAI getting a chunk of the merchant's sale.
Initially, it works with single-item purchases only, though that's expected to expand to more complex transactions over time.
What to watch: Purchases in ChatGPT are clearly marked.
The challenge will be enabling conversational shopping while ensuring users give clear consent and avoid accidental buys.
Editor's note: This story was updated to clarify that OpenAI developed the Agentic Commerce Protocol with Stripe.
