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Walmart said Tuesday it has struck a deal with OpenAI to allow shoppers to make faster purchases directly through artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.
With the move, the retail giant and largest U.S. grocer is trying to keep up with changes in how consumers discover items to buy. Along with purchasing items they see on social media or products recommended by retailers, shoppers are increasingly going to ChatGPT or similar AI chatbots for gift ideas or help finding the best deals.
“For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a news release. “That is about to change.”
He said the AI feature will be “multi-media, personalized and contextual,” adding that Walmart is “running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future.”
The company did not say when shoppers would be able to start buying Walmart items on ChatGPT.
In late September, OpenAI first announced the Instant Checkout feature that will soon allow shoppers to buy items through Walmart, and said it would initially support single-item purchases from Etsy sellers. OpenAI said at the time that more than one million Shopify merchants, including Skims and Glossier, would be coming soon.
The Instant Checkout feature is a new moneymaker for OpenAI. Walmart did not disclose any financial terms of the deal, but OpenAI has previously said it will charge companies a fee for transactions completed through ChatGPT.
Along with the OpenAI deal, Walmart has an AI-powered shopping assistant on its app called Sparky.
— CNBC’s Ashley Capoot contributed to this report.
