OpenAI launches ChatGPT Wallet so AI agents can make purchases for users
On Friday, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Wallet, a feature that lets its agents, called dots, help choose products and complete purchases on a user's behalf. It is initially limited to some U.S. ChatGPT Pro subscribers.
OpenAI, the U.S. artificial intelligence company, on Friday, November 13, introduced a new feature called ChatGPT Wallet. It allows its AI agents, which the company calls dots, to help users decide what to buy and then complete the purchase for them. At first, the option will be offered to a limited number of ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the United States who are 18 or older and hold a U.S.-issued Visa, Mastercard or American Express card.
OpenAI says purchases remain under the user's control. Before checkout, people can review the items, the total and the payment card to be used, and they approve the purchase with a security check such as Face ID or a fingerprint, which creates a record of the transaction.
How it works
Subscribers add an eligible card to ChatGPT Wallet once and then ask their dot for help with a purchase; card details do not have to be re-entered. When a transaction is made, the wallet charges the chosen card using a payment token, a substitute for the real card details, so the information is shared with neither the dot nor the merchant. The merchant receives only what it needs to fulfil the order from the dot, such as the shipping address and contact information. According to OpenAI, shoppers keep their card rewards and the usual protections, including the ability to dispute transactions.
Plans and obstacles
The limited rollout will let OpenAI test and improve the feature before wider release. In the future, the company plans to let users set spending limits or other parameters by purchase category or time period, so they can pre-approve purchases that an agent handles more autonomously. It also wants to widen the number of supported retailers.
That may prove difficult, as some retailers block AI agents from their sites. The largest to do so is Amazon, which is trying to steer users to its own agent, Alexa. To help merchants adapt to agentic commerce, OpenAI also published a Commerce Partner Playbook with tools and guidance.
Consumer AI tools are still searching for the best way to help people complete tasks efficiently. DoorDash and Uber have reported low numbers of orders placed by AI agents, while on Meta's Muse app, which has more than 10 million users, AI-assisted shopping has become a top activity.
