OpenAI is again experimenting with how its conversational AI assistant, ChatGPT, can help users when shopping online. On Thursday, the company announced the global launch of two new shopping features, including a way to virtually try on clothing and accessories and a new favorites feature that can help users save products they like for later reference.
The updates come at a time when AI assistants are exploring consumer use cases for shopping. OpenAI already had to move away from one of its previous ideas in this area, an instant payment feature that ultimately didn’t work out well. More recently, agentic AI startup Instinct began offering product recommendations to users, but some felt the proactive recommendations were excessive, feeling more like advertisements than useful suggestions.
OpenAI said its new shopping features leverage the new ChatGPT Images 2.5 model, which the company says produces more natural lighting and richer textures, tracks editing instructions more reliably, and reduces image generation latency.
For starters, Virtual Try-On allows ChatGPT users to upload a selfie or full-body photo to visualize how a piece of clothing or accessory might look on them. This option will appear as a new Try button in ChatGPT’s purchase results. You can also upload an image of an article, such as a web screenshot, and ask ChatGPT to try it for you.
The other new option, Favorites, lets you save products you discover to an in-app library so you can come back to them later. (These items will be saved with your test images, the company notes.)
OpenAI said ChatGPT can also help users make purchases in other ways.
For example, you could describe a style you’d like to try, then ask her to purchase the pieces needed to complete the look. You can also upload photos of celebrity outfits and ask it to find items they are wearing available for purchase.
The latter sees the assistant move into areas that Pinterest and Google have dominated in recent years as sources of inspiration and fashion discovery that can turn into sales for online retailers.
It remains to be seen, however, whether ChatGPT will become people’s first choice for this type of activity, especially since Google launched the virtual trial last year.
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