OpenAI reported over 1 billion searches were made through ChatGPT last week, showing that it is now competing directly with Google Search as a search engine. ChatGPT is now starting to display recommendations for products that can be bought based on search parameters. Users can then purchase the recommended products directly from within ChatGPT.
To enable products to be displayed in ChatGPT, OpenAI is now recommending that site owners grant the bot access to perform searches. In addition to displaying product recommendations, ChatGPT users can also ask the chatbot to show the differences between products, provide product specifications, summaries for product reviews, and various information that they feel is important for making a purchase decision.
According to OpenAI, at this time, product recommendations are organic and rely on the most accurate information. They do not yet offer a feature that allows direct advertising from manufacturers like Google Search does.