AI is officially joining you on your holiday shopping trip

OpenAI has added a new “shopping research” feature to ChatGPT, aimed at making holiday shopping easier.

Any shopping-related question now opens this mode, which is available to all users on web and mobile with “nearly unlimited” use for the season.

If you ask something like “best TVs for bright rooms,” ChatGPT gives its usual answer but now adds a button for extra research.

This is where it acts more like a personal shopper.

OpenAI does warn that it may still get details wrong, such as prices or stock, so users should check the retailer’s site for accuracy.

You can refine the suggestions by answering simple preference questions on budget, features, and how you plan to use the product.

Items link out to retailers, and OpenAI plans to introduce Instant Checkout so purchases can happen directly inside ChatGPT with supported merchants.

OpenAI isn’t alone in this space. Google has rolled out its own AI shopping tools, and Perplexity’s Comet browser can shop on your behalf, something Amazon reportedly isn’t pleased about.

The feature runs on a version of GPT-5 mini made specifically for shopping tasks.

It uses information from trusted online sources with current prices, specs, reviews, and images.

If you’ve turned on ChatGPT’s memory, it can also factor in previous chats.

Users can press buttons like “more like this” or “not interested” to tune results further.

Pro users will also see automatically generated buyer’s guides based on their past activity.

For example, frequent chats about e-bikes could lead to a guide with suggested accessories.

If this thing recommends one more “affordable” gadget over £300, we riot. - MG