OpenAI launches ChatGPT Wallet, AI agents can make purchases on behalf of users, with each payment requiring user confirmation

Beating AI News Flash: OpenAI launches ChatGPT Wallet, allowing its "dots" AI agents to make purchases on users' behalf with their authorization. The feature is initially available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers aged 18 and over in the United States. OpenAI partnered with American Express, Mastercard, and Visa to launch the feature, and cardholders can still enjoy their existing credit card rewards and purchase protections.

Eligible users only need to enter their card information once to let the agent find products, but each payment still requires user confirmation after security verification. OpenAI stated that the agent will not have access to users' real card information; the payment networks provide a dedicated payment token for each transaction, containing a card number, security code, and expiration date valid only for that transaction.

OpenAI stated that ChatGPT Wallet will not take a cut of transactions in the initial launch period, with the current focus on building partnerships with merchants and payment networks. This follows OpenAI's overhaul of product search and price comparison features in March this year, further extending the shopping process to the payment stage. As of the end of the third quarter, ChatGPT had over 1.2 billion weekly active users and nearly 100 million paying users.

Merchants remain divided on AI agent purchasing. United Airlines will block agents from accessing its booking system, and Amazon does not allow agents to place orders on its platform. OpenAI released merchant-facing tools and guidelines alongside the announcement to help merchants check whether their websites are inadvertently blocking OpenAI's agents.