ChatGPT's New Wallet Lets AI Agents Shop and Check Out for You
ChatGPT can now shop on your behalf. On Friday, OpenAI launched a new wallet feature that lets its agents—called dots—help users decide what to buy and then complete the purchase for them. The option is initially available to a limited number of U.S. ChatGPT Pro subscribers, ages 18 and up, who hold a U.S.-issued Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card.
User Control and Secure Checkout
OpenAI says users remain fully in control of every purchase. Before checkout, they can review the items, the total, and the payment card that will be used to complete the transaction. Users also approve purchases directly through a security check such as Face ID or a fingerprint, which creates a record of the transaction.
Agentic Commerce Finds Its Footing
The launch comes as consumer-facing AI tools work to find product-market fit—specifically, how they can help people complete everyday tasks more efficiently. While companies like DoorDash and Uber have so far reported low numbers of orders placed by AI agents, Meta's Muse—which now has over 10 million users—has seen AI-assisted shopping become a top activity on its app. Other personal AI agents, such as Instinct, also support making purchases on users' behalf.
Given that momentum, it's no surprise that OpenAI wants to deepen its push into this space with an agentic shopping feature of its own.
How It Works
To get started, ChatGPT subscribers add their eligible payment cards to the new ChatGPT Wallet, then ask their dot to help with a purchase. Setup is a one-time process—users don't have to re-enter payment information for each transaction. At checkout, ChatGPT's Wallet charges the selected card using a payment token, which substitutes for the user's actual card details so that sensitive information isn't shared with either the dot or the merchant.
The merchant automatically receives what it needs to fulfill the order from the dot, such as the shipping address and contact information, OpenAI says. The company notes that customers who shop via their dots will still earn their credit card rewards and retain the protections that typically come with cards, including the ability to dispute transactions.
Limited Launch, Broader Ambitions
The limited availability at launch will allow OpenAI to test and refine the feature before a wider rollout. In the future, the company plans to give users more control—for example, by letting them set spending limits or configure parameters around purchase categories or time periods, so they can pre-approve purchases that their agent then handles more autonomously.
OpenAI also aims to make agentic shopping available at a broader range of retailers. That could prove challenging in some areas, where retailers are blocking AI agents from using their sites. In retail, the largest holdout is Amazon, which is steering users toward its own AI agent, Alexa, instead.
To help retailers adapt to agentic commerce, OpenAI also published a Commerce Partner Playbook offering tools and guidance to sites that want to support customers shopping through agents.
via TechCrunch AI