OpenAI is giving its ChatGPT more autonomy with new agentic capabilities, reportedly also testing an embedded payment checkout system.
OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT unified agentic system that uses connectors, context, and custom instructions to take smarter actions on your behalf. The new tool blends Operator’s ability to take actions through a remote browser, Deep Research’s web data synthesis and reporting skills, and ChatGPT’s natural conversational abilities.
The service has already rolled out to all Pro users, while Plus and Team users will begin getting access on Monday.
Besides core ChatGPT capabilities like conversational intelligence, step-by-step instruction execution, search, summarization, etc., the new agent tool can access and interact with third-party services (e.g. Google Calendar, Trello, databases, APIs), perform scheduling, email drafting, report generation, or data retrieval, assist with shopping, travel planning, research, or customer support, and more.
Instead of relying on generic knowledge, the ChatGPT agent can be customized by training on specific company data, knowledge bases, or business logic.
At the same time, OpenAI’s agentic infrastructure does not have full independence when it comes to financial matters. AT present, the agents cannot handle real-time payments or directly access bank accounts. At the same time, with the right setup, a custom agent can be potentially designed to initiate or assist with purchases via third-party APIs or services, under users’ control.
For instance, ChatGPT agent can initiate checkout sessions, retrieve product details and pricing, pre-fill payment details (via secure OAuth tokens or API keys), and finally provide a checkout link for the user to complete the purchase manually. However, direct agent purchases aren’t allowed due to user security and data privacy concerns.
As the Financial Times previously reported, OpenAI is reportedly working on adding a payment checkout system directly into ChatGPT to increase its revenue. According to the media data, the feature is being tested with several platforms, in particular, Shopify. While OpenAI and Shopify already collaborate to improve product discovery, current transactions take place on external retailer websites. The embedded payment checkout would allow users to make purchases directly within the chat, enabling OpenAI to earn a commission from completed sales. The AI company didn’t officially comment on the report.
