ChatGPT rattles Google on its home ground with new search and shopping features

OpenAI has expanded ChatGPT’s capabilities to help users discover and shop for products online, stepping up its challenge to Google’s long-standing dominance in the search market.

With the latest rollout, users searching for products on ChatGPT will now receive curated recommendations, product images, user reviews, and direct links to purchase pages—all within the chatbot interface.

The feature is currently being piloted across select categories such as fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics, according to TechCrunch.


Highlighting the rapid adoption of search within its AI platform in a post on X, OpenAI said: “Search has become one of our most popular & fastest growing features, with over 1 billion web searches just in the past week.”


This new shopping functionality not only enhances the user experience but also pushes ChatGPT closer to functioning as a full-fledged search engine—an area long dominated by Google. The update is part of GPT-4o and is now available to Pro, Plus, and free users globally, including those accessing ChatGPT without logging in.

In addition to shopping, OpenAI has introduced several other improvements to boost usability and relevance:

Search in WhatsApp: Users can now message 1-800-ChatGPT (+1-800-242-8478) on WhatsApp to get real-time responses and live sports updates This feature is available wherever ChatGPT is accessible.

Improved citations: Answers now include multiple citations, with a new ‘highlight’ interface that clearly shows which parts of the response are supported by which sources. This change aims to increase transparency and trust in the information presented.

Trending and autocomplete: “You can search faster with trending searches and autocomplete suggestions,” the company said regarding the feature.

As OpenAI ramps up its presence in the search landscape, Google is responding in kind. The tech giant has started integrating its Gemini AI assistant directly into search results, offering AI-generated summaries above traditional website listings.

The update comes at a time when regulatory scrutiny of Google’s monopoly continues to mount. Recently, during proceedings in an ongoing antitrust trial involving Google, an OpenAI executive revealed that the company might consider acquiring Chrome if Google were ever forced to divest its browser business.