OpenAI details how ChatGPT Wallet works, a feature that allows Dots agents to purchase products in response to user requests. However, each purchase remains subject to prior validation, and several merchants already restrict or block these agents.
Once a card is added to the wallet, Dots agents can use it to make purchases, but they must return to the user before each payment. According to the OpenAI help page, every purchase made with ChatGPT Wallet requires a security check via biometric authentication, such as Face ID or a fingerprint scan.
Once the purchase proposed by the agent is validated, the bank card details are not transmitted to the agent or the merchant. OpenAI states that the process is comparable to contactless payment, Apple Pay, or Google Wallet: the card details are replaced by a payment token, i.e., an identifier that serves as real banking data.
Towards Delegated Purchases
Ultimately, OpenAI indicates it expects “users to be able to fully delegate purchases to their agent by setting clear parameters, such as spending limits, purchase categories, or time periods, and pre-approve these purchases.” This evolution assumes the user sets in advance the conditions under which the agent can act.
Merchants Sometimes Closed to Agents
ChatGPT Wallet will not work everywhere. Some retailers impose restrictions on artificial intelligence agents, while others block them completely. Amazon, for example, has blocked Meta’s Muse agents.
OpenAI believes that for agents to use ChatGPT Wallet, “websites must ensure agents are not inadvertently blocked, and payment and risk management systems must recognize legitimate purchases made by agents.”
