Google Matches OpenAI on Shopping

Sam Altman, look behind you. Sundar Pichai is catching up. Google on Sunday announced it was adding the ability to buy stuff within its Gemini AI chatbot, using Google Pay to complete the transaction, essentially matching OpenAI’s Instant Checkout feature. This is a big deal, according to my colleague Ann Gehan, who was at the NRF retail conference in New York where Pichai spoke on Sunday. Ann tells me Google will have an advantage over OpenAI because unlike the ChatGPT creator, Google already has lots of product data and retailer relationships, thanks to its search ad business. 

OpenAI’s lack of such data has proved a stumbling block, Ann wrote in a story this past week, slowing down the company’s ability to quickly connect lots of merchants to its Instant Checkout service. The fact that lots of people already have Google Pay accounts may also give Google an edge, as it will be easier for shoppers to buy stuff if their payment information is already saved. That doesn’t mean a Gemini shopping service will be a slam-dunk success or Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has to fret too much. It’s too soon to tell how much consumers want to buy things via an AI chatbot, particularly when many are already used to the ease of Amazon.