OpenAI announced this Friday (13) ChatGPT Wallet, a digital wallet that will allow artificial intelligence (AI) agents to make payments and complete purchases on users' behalf.
The tool was developed in partnership with card operators American Express, Mastercard and Visa and seeks to allow ChatGPT to move from researching and comparing products to also carrying out transactions.
The service begins to be available in the United States, initially for ChatGPT Pro subscribers aged 18 or over and with eligible cards issued in the country.
In this first phase, the wallet will work through dots, an OpenAI artificial intelligence agent capable of performing tasks on the user's behalf.
The main new feature is that the agent will be able to make payments without having access to the user's actual card data. Furthermore, each purchase will depend on authorization from the holder, accompanied by a security check, such as facial recognition or fingerprint reading.
How to use GPT Wallet?
To use the service, the consumer registers a card in the digital wallet. When the agent finds a product and prepares a purchase, the user can check the selected items, the total value and the chosen card before authorizing payment.
After confirmation, the payment network provides a token, a type of temporary digital card that replaces the original card data.
It contains its own number, security code and expiration date, allowing the transaction to be completed without sharing the consumer's actual information with the agent or company selling the product.
According to OpenAI, the model also preserves the benefits associated with the cards used, such as rewards programs and protections in certain disputes with establishments — for example, when a product is defective.
The company states that the consumer will continue to make the transaction directly with the commercial establishment. This way, stores maintain control over pricing, delivery, returns and customer service.
OpenAI's future goal
The idea is that, in the future, the user will be able to delegate entire purchases to artificial intelligence, without having to individually approve each transaction. To achieve this, it would be possible to establish rules in advance, such as spending limits, permitted product categories and periods in which the agent can purchase.
OpenAI states that this model must have additional security and authorization mechanisms.
Companies will have to adapt systems to receive payments from agents
Along with the digital wallet, OpenAI announced tools and guidance to help companies accept purchases made by artificial intelligence agents.
The company states that websites and payment systems are still adapting to this type of transaction. In some cases, security mechanisms can automatically block purchases made by agents, even when they are legitimate.
To alleviate this problem, the company published a guide for merchants with recommendations on how to make up-to-date product information available, allow agents access to websites, and adapt fraud prevention systems to recognize these transactions.
OpenAI also reported that it works with companies specializing in fraud prevention, such as Forter, Riskified, Sardine and Signifyd, as well as payment service providers, such as Adyen, Checkout.com and Stripe.
The initiative follows a change in user behavior: according to OpenAI, around 1.2 billion people use ChatGPT weekly, and many use the tool to research products, compare alternatives and decide what to buy.
With ChatGPT Wallet, the company intends to allow these decisions to also be transformed into purchases completed by artificial intelligence.
For now, however, access is restricted to the United States. OpenAI says it intends to use this first step to evaluate how the service works and work with banks, companies and payment networks before expanding availability.
