OpenAI is improving ChatGPT’s web search capabilities to make the AI-powered chatbot a more useful shopping tool.
People already use ChatGPT to search for products, but before these updates, it was difficult to understand current prices or see visual representations of results in ChatGPT, Adam Fry, head of search products at OpenAI, told The Verge in an interview. With the new update, a product query can produce more useful results that include product cards with images, prices, and star ratings in an easy-to-read format.
According to Fry, the recommendations are organic – there are no ads, and the results are not sponsored. However, OpenAI does work with partners to ensure that ChatGPT shows up-to-date prices (although spokesperson Taya Christianson declined to say who those partners are when I asked).
Fry showed me how it all works in a demo version in a web browser. For the query “the best espresso machines under $200 that are great for making lattes and won’t take up much counter space,” ChatGPT returned the top three options with product cards and detailed descriptions in the text below the cards.
If you click on a product card, a sidebar similar to Google Shopping will appear with more information about places where you can buy that product and information taken from user reviews on sites like Amazon, Best Buy, and Reddit. The cards may also have an “Ask About” button, and if you click it, you can ask ChatGPT a specific question about that product.
I asked Fry why the sidebar looks like what you might see on Google. He replied that although OpenAI wanted the interface to look like ChatGPT, the company knows that people like to see structured information that includes prices and images in a way they are familiar with.
I also asked Fry what the result of buying a Nintendo Switch 2 would look like, as I was curious how ChatGPT would handle a product that hasn’t been released yet but is in high demand for pre-orders. The results were not so good.
While ChatGPT acknowledged that retailers faced a “quick sellout,” it noted that Nintendo’s own My Nintendo Store was one such retailer – even if it had not yet started selling. ChatGPT also pointed out some “third-party sellers and specialty retailers” that apparently offer pre-orders, including eBay for $710 and a platform I’ve never heard of and can’t find on Google called “Store Collectibles.” Perhaps these results appeared because I was shown a version of the tool that is still under development, but it’s a reminder that, as with other generative AI tools, you should definitely check the shopping results that ChatGPT shows you.
According to Christianson, the update will start today for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Free, and logged-out users.
OpenAI initially released its search engine as part of ChatGPT in October. According to Fry, OpenAI has made 1 billion searches on ChatGPT in the last week.
OpenAI will also allow you to text or call 1-800-CHATGPT from WhatsApp to get answers from ChatGPT, just as you can call the same number from your phone. In addition, the company said that ChatGPT search has improved citations, trending searches, and autocomplete.
