Walmart Partners with OpenAI on ChatGPT Instant Checkout

Walmart announced on October 14 that it has partnered with OpenAI to let customers buy products directly through ChatGPT, introducing an Instant Checkout feature that will allow shoppers to browse, plan and complete purchases inside the chat interface. The rollout, which the company said will begin in the coming months, will extend to Walmart and Sam's Club customers and exclude fresh food items, according to Walmart statements.

The integration uses OpenAI's commerce protocols to support a conversational shopping flow in which users can ask for recommendations, select items and confirm payment and delivery within a single chat session. Walmart said the system will provide AI-guided recommendations and one-tap checkout to simplify routine shopping tasks such as meal planning and restocking essentials. Doug McMillon, Walmart's president and chief executive, said the future of online shopping is "a native AI experience that is multimedia, personalized and contextual," and described the effort as part of the company's push to embed AI across its operations.

Technical details released so far show the commerce protocol currently supports a single shipping address per chat session, a...