Shopping searches are a lucrative business for Google. ChatGPT inventor OpenAI is now entering this market - without making any money. (archive image)
Keystone
The AI chatbot ChatGPT is trying its hand at shopping advice. In doing so, it is attacking Google's business. The developer company OpenAI demonstrated the new function with a search query.
Keystone-SDA
29.04.2025, 02:11
SDA
"What is the best espresso machine for under 200 dollars that comes close to the taste of coffee in Italy?" ChatGPT then suggested several models with photos, prices and links to dealers.
The selection of answers was not based on paid ad placement, OpenAI emphasized. Shopping search is a lucrative business for Google: companies can pay to have their products prominently displayed. OpenAI only worked with "partners" to keep the prices up to date, the manager responsible, Adam Fry, told the tech blog "The Verge". OpenAI does not specify who these partners are.
For everyone - but not for everything for now
The shopping aid is initially limited to a few product categories: electronics, fashion, cosmetics, household items. Anyone interested in an item can ask ChatGPT further questions about it. OpenAI wants to make the function available to all 500 million users as soon as possible. The AI company could use it to compete not only with Google, but also with specialized shopping advice sites.
In addition to shopping, OpenAI has improved the ChatGPT search with suggestions for the automatic completion of sentences and the display of queries that are currently trending.