Visa expands AI commerce with ChatGPT payment integration

Visa is placing a major bet on AI-enabled shopping by connecting its payment network to ChatGPT, enabling AI agents to carry out purchases. The company announced that consumers will be able to link their Visa cards to ChatGPT, letting the chatbot shop and pay for goods and services at merchants that accept Visa. This moves AI agents from simply recommending products to completing transactions, with potential uses spanning groceries to airline tickets. The integration pairs OpenAI's decision-making capabilities with Visa's payment authorization and fraud-monitoring systems. OpenAI's earlier Instant Checkout provides context, showing why Visa favors direct card linkage. During a San Francisco event, Forestell described a scenario where a customer asks for wireless headphones under 150 dollars and the bot completes the purchase. The deal's terms were not disclosed, but safeguards include spending limits, approval steps, and merchant restrictions. Disputes would follow traditional card principles, and the approach could broaden to everyday categories, with tokenization and security underpinning these transactions.