OpenAI has updated ChatGPT's web search features to offer users personalized product recommendations, enriched with product images, user reviews, and direct purchase links.
According to the company, ChatGPT's search functionality — a pioneer in the field of generative artificial intelligence — has gained significant popularity since its launch last year, with more than 1 billion web searches conducted just in the past week.
The new shopping features will be available on OpenAI's latest flagship model, GPT-4o. The update will be accessible to all ChatGPT users, including Pro, Plus, and free-tier subscribers, as well as to users accessing the service without logging in.
Users will receive tailored product suggestions across a variety of categories, such as fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics, when posing specific queries.
OpenAI emphasized that the presented search results will be free from advertisements, and the company will not receive any commissions from purchases made through the ChatGPT platform.
According to OpenAI, the shopping results will be generated independently based on structured metadata sourced from third parties, including product prices, descriptions, and user reviews.
This initiative is seen as part of OpenAI’s broader strategy to provide a more user-focused alternative to Alphabet’s (Google’s parent company) dominance in the search market, offering a contrast to advertisement-driven search results.
It is worth noting that in February, OpenAI reported that its number of weekly active users had surpassed 400 million.
