OpenAI announced on Monday an update to ChatGPT’s web search tool, aimed at enhancing users’ online shopping experience.
ChatGPT users will now benefit from enhanced product searches, as the chatbot provides tailored recommendations, showcases images and reviews, and includes direct links to purchase pages for the items suggested. OpenAI has announced that users can propose particular enquiries using natural language, resulting in tailored responses. OpenAI explores various sectors, including fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics.
OpenAI is set to launch a new feature in GPT-4o, the default AI model for ChatGPT, on Monday. This rollout will be available to Cha GPT Pro, Plus, and Free users, as well as to logged-out users worldwide.
The recent update to ChatGPT’s search functionality marks a strategic move by OpenAI to enhance its competitive edge against Google. This initiative aims to deliver a more tailored and efficient experience for online users seeking products and information. Online shopping is a pivotal part of Google’s business portfolio. The advertising market for priority placements in Google Search has played a significant role in the product’s declining quality over the years.
OpenAI reports that its search product is experiencing significant growth. According to a statement made by the company to TechCrunch, users conducted over a billion web searches in ChatGPT last week.
OpenAI has announced that it is independently assessing ChatGPT’s shopping results, clarifying that advertisements will not be included in this enhancement to the ChatGPT search functionality. Shopping results will rely on structured metadata sourced from third parties, including pricing, product descriptions, and reviews. The company will not benefit from kickbacks associated with purchases made via ChatGPT search.
In a notable shift, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who has long been against including advertisements in ChatGPT, expressed a more nuanced perspective during a recent conversation with Ben Thompson of Stratechery. Altman was willing to consider “tasteful” advertising, indicating that OpenAI might implement a system that charges affiliate fees for purchases made through ChatGPT while maintaining a commitment not to sell priority placement in its search results.
OpenAI has announced plans to integrate its memory feature with shopping for Pro users, allowing ChatGPT to reference past conversations to provide tailored product recommendations. The company has updated Chat T, enabling it to reference memory during web searches on a broader scale. Nonetheless, users in the EU, the U.K., Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein will not have access to these memory features.
In conjunction with this update, ChatGPT search will showcase trending searches as users begin to type their enquiries, reminiscent of the autocomplete feature in Google Search. In a significant development, ChatGP search has been integrated into WhatsApp, enabling users to communicate with the company’s chatbot for real-time answers.
OpenAI has previously investigated shopping functionalities through its AI “agent” platform, Operator. Browsing through numerous web pages to identify relevant products can take users anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. The integration of shopping capabilities into ChatGPT offers users a more efficient and interactive experience, enabling them to search for products through natural language queries.