OpenAI just released a groundbreaking agentic shopping system. The new plan would put competitors to industry titans Amazon and Google squarely in their crosshairs. This new system includes an “Instant Checkout” function, aimed at making one-click online purchasing fast, easy, and fun. It’s an ambitious step, made at a time when customers are more than ever looking for seamless, and often instantaneous, ways to shop online.
The new agentic shopping system is a major breakthrough in e-commerce technology. By combining these new AI capabilities, OpenAI hopes to give shoppers tailored, proactive recommendations and support at every step of their buying journey. The Instant Checkout feature is anticipated to drastically reduce friction in the purchasing process, allowing users to complete transactions swiftly and efficiently.
Sarah Perez, a veteran reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011, has been all over this story. Prior to her time at TechCrunch, she spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb, where she learned foundational lessons about technology and its impact on our society. Sarah’s got an impressive I.T. background. Her experience in the banking, retail, and software industries provide a deep well of context for her reporting.
PayPal is jumping into the mix with a slew of new AI features to support its agentic commerce efforts. Following a gauntlet of bad media for PayPal’s Honey, the company is playing defense. This launch is a product of that desire to create and continually improve their deliverables. PayPal’s partnership with Google further enhances its position in the market, allowing it to integrate advanced technologies into its services.
PayPal’s new tools go hand in hand with the company’s wider strategy. These shared resources include an Agent Toolkit, as well as remote MCP server capabilities. Notably, the company is providing free access to Perplexity’s premium service for one year and is launching its new Comet browser as part of this initiative. All of these features with the user’s experience at heart make online transactions quick and easy.
In fact, we liked TPI’s idea so much, that we’re working to bring a similar event to San Francisco from October 27-29, 2025. That’s sure to be a hotbed of conversation around the future of technology and commerce, including innovations both from OpenAI as well as PayPal. Attendees will hear what AI means for the future of shopping, and have unique networking opportunities with other top industry leaders.