ChatGPT gets Instant Checkout: direct purchases in chat (powered by Stripe)

OpenAI is shifting ChatGPT from a reactive assistant toward a more active platform that can surface content, recommendations and now direct shopping options. After launching ChatGPT Pulse (daily personalized updates), OpenAI has introduced Instant Checkout, which lets users buy products directly inside the chat without leaving the interface.

What Instant Checkout does

• Enables purchases inside ChatGPT conversations — users can complete checkout flows presented by the assistant.
• Built on Stripe’s payments infrastructure and the new Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), which standardizes AI-driven commerce interactions.
• Uses a scoped Shared Payment Token (SPT) so merchants don’t receive a user’s raw payment credentials, improving payment privacy.

Partners and rollout

• Initial rollout (US) includes Etsy merchants, with plans to expand to many Shopify merchants and large brands via Stripe’s commerce network.
• Stripe announced the integration and the technical approach powering Instant Checkout.

Why this matters

This brings significant convenience — shorter purchase flows, fewer redirects and immediate transactions inside chat. But it also raises questions about commercialization of conversational AI, platform control of recommendations, and long-term privacy and competition effects. Critics may call this the start of further “enshittification” if the product prioritizes monetization over user experience.

Sources

• Stripe newsroom: https://stripe.com/newsroom/news/stripe-openai-instant-checkout

What do you think — convenience or creeping commercialization? Leave a comment below.