Visa Integrates Payment Network Into ChatGPT, Enabling AI Agents to Make Purchases

Visa said Wednesday it has embedded its payment network inside ChatGPT, allowing the chatbot to shop and complete purchases on behalf of users at any merchant that accepts Visa. The announcement came at a company event in San Francisco. Jack Forestell, chief product and strategy officer at Visa, said the move prepares for a time when AI agents act as active participants in the economy.

Users will link their Visa cards to ChatGPT. Visa will handle payment authorization and fraud monitoring. OpenAI will supply the technology that lets agents interact, decide, and initiate purchases. Forestell gave an example of a customer asking ChatGPT for wireless headphones under $150.

The chatbot would locate a qualifying pair and complete the purchase. The feature will include spending limits, required approval steps, and approved-merchant lists. Visa and OpenAI did not disclose financial terms or the fees merchants or customers would pay.

OpenAI previously offered Instant Checkout, which let ChatGPT search the internet for items. Merchants paid 4 percent of each transaction’s value, and the service was retired in March. Mastercard separately announced that AI agents will be able to procure services on behalf of businesses, such as an advertising campaign for a coffee shop.

Visa is the world’s largest payment network outside of China. Sweet reported from New York.