The technology giant announced Thursday that it has rolled out several AI-enabled shopping functions just ahead of the holidays. The features pair with other AI-enabled capabilities Google has already launched, including a way to track items' prices and virtual try-on options that allow a user to see how clothing looks directly on their body. Google said it has made conversational commerce, both with its large-language model (LLM), Gemini, and its search tool, which it calls AI Mode, easier for consumers.
To prepare for a future in which AI can make purchases on your behalf, companies are laying the groundwork for agentic transactions, and PayPal is the latest to join the effort. Also: I let ChatGPT Atlas do my Walmart shopping for me - here's how the AI browser agent did On Tuesday, the company launched its agent commerce services, a suite of solutions designed for merchants to enable AI-driven shopping experiences that build on PayPal's existing payment infrastructure.
This bifurcation, according to Stern, is at the separation of commodity buying and experience-based shopping. On the one hand, if someone wants a commodity item or a widely available brand, almost any store will do. A shopper might ask ChatGPT to order more Tide laundry detergent, and not care who sells it. What matters is getting Tide delivered quickly at a low price.
As much fun as we can make of those attempts to make a quick buck, the whole situation is way more interesting if we look beyond the technical and security aspects. Shallow Perception of Autonomous AI Agents What drew popular interest to the Stripe & OpenAI announcement was an intended outcome and its edge cases. "The AI agent will now be able to make purchases on our behalf."
What if your next online shopping experience didn't require endless scrolling, multiple tabs, or even visiting a website? Imagine asking a chatbot for the perfect pair of running shoes, receiving tailored recommendations, and completing your purchase, all within the same conversation. This isn't a glimpse into a far-off future; it's the reality Shopify is creating with its new integration of ChatGPT-powered agentic commerce. By blending conversational AI with e-commerce, Shopify is not just refining how we shop, it's fundamentally redefining it.
