ChatGPT adds shopping tools, deepens Google rivalry

OpenAI has officially launched a new shopping feature for ChatGPT, allowing users to search for products online through conversational prompts—a move that ramps up its competition with Google as the tech giant faces mounting regulatory scrutiny over its dominance in search.

This latest update blurs the lines between traditional search engines and AI chatbots, highlighting OpenAI’s growing ambition to carve out a share of Google’s long-held market. “Search has become one of our most popular and fastest growing features, with over 1 billion web searches just in the past week,” the San Francisco-based company shared in a post on X.

ChatGPT Shopping Features Tailored to Users

Rolled out Monday, the new capability enables users to find, compare, and shop for products through a natural back-and-forth chat. “Instead of scrolling through pages of results, you can simply start a conversation,” OpenAI’s post noted, adding that users can also ask follow-up questions or directly compare products.

The feature currently focuses on fashion, beauty, and home electronics. OpenAI emphasized that the recommendations come from the web—not sponsored ads—and are tailored to each user.

Meanwhile, Google has begun embedding its Gemini assistant into search results to fend off chatbot competition. The feature provides AI-generated answers before listing traditional search links.

The growing rivalry between the two AI leaders escalated last week when an OpenAI executive said the company would consider buying Google Chrome if it were forced to sell the browser amid the ongoing U.S. antitrust lawsuit.

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