OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Wallet, a payment feature that allows its "dots" artificial intelligence agents to make purchases on behalf of users. The company built the wallet in partnership with American Express, Mastercard and Visa, and says it lets cardholders keep their existing credit card rewards and protections for eligible disputes.
Under the system, users enter their card information once, then prompt their dot to find items and approve each purchase with a security check such as Face ID or a fingerprint scan. OpenAI says the dot never sees the user's actual card details. Instead, the payment network issues a payment token containing a scoped card number, security code and expiration date specific to that transaction, and each approval creates a clear record of what the user authorized.S1S2
Access is limited for now. ChatGPT Wallet is initially available only to ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the United States who are 18 or older, and the feature will not work with websites that block agents. OpenAI says the limited rollout is meant to learn from real-world use and to work with businesses, banks and payment networks to improve compatibility and reliability. Luke Gebb, executive vice president and global head of innovation at American Express, said starting in a contained environment was the right approach.S1S2
The launch builds on OpenAI's push into AI-enabled commerce. The dots agents were introduced at the company's annual developer conference in late September, and the company said it is not taking a cut of transactions to start. OpenAI's earlier "Instant Checkout" feature was launched last fall and quickly pivoted away from, and a revamped shopping experience followed by March. Chaya Nayak, who leads product for monetization and payments at OpenAI, said the goal is to focus on merchants and network partners and build a safe, easy-to-use foundation.S2
The rollout comes as ChatGPT supports more than 1.2 billion weekly active users and nearly 100 million paying users as of the end of the third quarter. Gebb said OpenAI can decide to expand the feature once it is confident in how it performs.S2
