NEW YORK – In a strategic move to enhance its AI chatbot’s shopping capabilities, Google has partnered with major retailers like Walmart, Shopify, and Wayfair. This collaboration aims to transform the Gemini app into a both a digital sales platform and a personal shopping assistant.

As part of this initiative, an integrated checkout option will enable users to complete transactions seamlessly within the Gemini chat interface, utilizing various payment providers. This feature, developed in collaboration with Walmart and Google, aims to streamline the purchasing process.

The announcement coincided with the opening day of the National Retail Federation’s annual convention in New York, where discussions are focused on the role of artificial intelligence in transforming e-commerce and influencing consumer habits over the three-day gathering.

“The shift from conventional web or app searches to commerce driven by AI agents marks the next significant advancement in retail,” stated John Furner, who is set to become Walmart’s president and CEO. This sentiment was echoed in a joint statement with Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.

The new AI shopping feature from Google functions by providing product suggestions from a range of partner retailers when a customer makes a query, such as asking for suitable gear for a winter ski trip.

Specifically for Walmart customers, those who connect their Walmart and Gemini accounts will benefit from personalized recommendations based on their previous purchases. Additionally, any items bought through the chatbot can be conveniently added to their existing online shopping carts at Walmart or Sam’s Club, as detailed in the announcement.

OpenAI and Walmart announced a similar deal in October, saying the partnership would allow ChatGPT members to use an instant checkout feature to shop for nearly everything available on Walmart’s website except for fresh food.

Google, OpenAI and Amazon all are racing to create tools that would allow for seamless AI-powered shopping by taking chatbot users from browsing to buying within the same program instead of having to go to a retailer’s website to complete a purchase. The race between OpenAI and Google has heated up in recent months.

Before the recent holiday shopping season, OpenAI launched an instant checkout feature within ChatGPT that allows users to buy products from select retailers and Etsy sellers without leaving the app.

San Francisco software company Salesforce estimated that AI influenced $272 billion, or 20%, of all global retail sales, in one way or another during the holiday shopping season.

Google said the AI-assisted shopping features in Gemini only would be available to U.S. users initially but that it planned to expand internationally in the coming months.