Target Partners with ChatGPT for AI-assisted Shopping – Annenberg Media
Target announced its partnership with OpenAI to allow customers to shop for products through ChatGPT, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
Shoppers can tag Target inside the ChatGPT app and ask for ideas such as “family movie night.” The Target app will then suggest specific products related to the search prompt, such as popcorn or candy, and allow shoppers to buy them directly.
This is done through the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), an open standard that allows ChatGPT to function as an AI agent, merchant and payment system for secure and instant transactions.
“I’m just learning about it now – they haven’t told us anything as of yet,” Diego Robles, a Target employee at the USC Village, said.
Robles works in the frozen foods department and said that while AI may improve the consumer shopping experience, it likely won’t help him with his daily tasks.
One aspect where AI might help employees is automatically notifying them when food items expire, because he said they sometimes forget to throw away expired food items.
Robles also expressed skepticism about how well ChatGPT’s suggestions will be.
“It might not be the best recommendation because it’s AI,” he said. “But recommendations [are] always welcome.”
Yvette Zhong, a graduate student studying digital social media, disagrees that AI-assistance will enhance her shopping experience at Target.
“I only buy things from Target that I think [are] necessary,” Zhong said. “I don’t think ChatGPT or other AI will change that much because I only buy things that I need immediately.”
This is not the first time OpenAI has ventured into the world of commerce.
Just over a month ago, they inked a deal with PayPal, allowing consumers to connect and directly purchase from small businesses and even some of the largest brands in the world to sell within ChatGPT.
Consumers can now search, shop and purchase products directly through ChatGPT, optimizing the process and opening a new door for shopping using the same ACP that is being used in the deal with Target, according to the press release.
OpenAI has also brought small business platforms like Etsy and Shopify onto their instant checkout feature, combining many sites into one larger, all-inclusive AI shopping center.
Target’s deal includes a feature that separates it from other partnerships. Customers can converse with ChatGPT to personalize their shopping experience with an AI assistant.
The retail corporation is now implementing ChatGPT into its workforce to increase speed, simplify processes and cultivate creativity, now opening the door for major corporations to incorporate AI into their business.
OpenAI or Target did not respond to Annenberg Media for a comment.
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