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OpenAI Unveils the Future of AI-Driven Commerce with ChatGPT Apps

Cansin Cengiz

07 Oct 2025 — 3 min read

OpenAI Unveils the Future of AI-Driven Commerce with ChatGPT Apps

OpenAI's latest annual Dev Day has set the stage for a major leap in AI-driven commerce. The company introduced a new capability for ChatGPT: the integration of third-party apps directly within its interface. This move positions ChatGPT as a potential all-in-one platform for both consumers and businesses, reshaping the way users interact with digital services and shop online.

ChatGPT as a Commerce Hub

During an impressive demo, OpenAI showcased how users could access and control services like Spotify and Figma without leaving the ChatGPT window. This seamless experience hints at an AI-first internet, where chatbots not only provide information but also execute everyday tasks and purchases with a single command.

OpenAI’s recent launch of Instant Checkout—an agentic shopping system—further cements its ambitions. This feature lets users make purchases from Shopify, Etsy, or Stripe-connected stores directly through ChatGPT. With the addition of app integrations, OpenAI now offers both the payment infrastructure and the user interface, creating a powerful ecosystem for AI-driven commerce.

Expanding the Reach: Partners and Capabilities

The list of launch partners reveals just how broad OpenAI’s vision is. Soon, users will be able to:

Order a ride with Uber
Book travel via Expedia
Request home services through Thumbtack
Shop for groceries with Instacart
Order food from DoorDash
Purchase goods from Target

With such integrations, ChatGPT could become a primary portal for discretionary spending, making the platform far more valuable than a simple monthly subscription service. Like an app store, OpenAI is well-positioned to earn a share of every transaction processed through its platform.

The Bigger Picture: Competing with Tech Giants

This strategy places OpenAI in direct competition not just with other AI leaders like Google and Anthropic, but also with ecommerce giants like Amazon and Walmart. By analyzing user data and recommending products, ChatGPT could become a “super-aggregator,” connecting customers with retailers and capturing a significant portion of the commerce funnel.

Industry observers note that this could transform OpenAI’s business model, introducing new revenue streams and shifting the balance of power in the digital marketplace. According to Ben Thompson’s Aggregation Theory, platforms that aggregate demand and supply can dominate digital commerce—a position OpenAI now seems poised to pursue.

The Rise of Agentic Commerce

OpenAI is not alone in targeting AI-powered shopping. Adobe recently predicted that this year’s holiday season will see a massive jump in AI-assisted online shopping, with chatbots guiding users to the best deals. Mastercard has identified agentic commerce as an emerging arena for finance, and Google is developing its own agent-driven purchasing protocol (AP2). These moves signal growing recognition that AI agents are set to transform how people shop online.

The simplest use case is product search—asking ChatGPT to find a specific item at a certain price. But AI agents can go further: they could automatically buy tickets the moment they become available or negotiate deals in real-time, handling tasks that previously required manual effort.

Will Consumers Embrace AI Shopping?

The biggest question is whether users will embrace this new way to shop. While companies like OpenAI, Stripe, and Mastercard are optimistic, mainstream adoption of agentic shopping has yet to be proven. Many of these features are just rolling out, so it may be months before the average user experiences the full power of AI commerce.

As these systems become more accessible, much will depend on how consumers respond and whether they trust AI agents to handle their purchases and personal data. If adoption takes off, the landscape of online commerce could be transformed forever.