OpenAI’s ChatGPT Launches Shopping Research, Free Version For Teachers & More

OpenAI announced that it was introducing shopping research, a new feature that enables its prized chatbot to conduct research on shopping items for users and helps them pick the right products.

It saves them the time of sifting through a wide range of products across multiple sites by building a thoughtful guide based on simple descriptions provided by them, based on what they’re looking for.

According to OpenAI, it asks smart clarifying questions, researches deeply across the internet, reviews quality sources, user preferences and memory, and past conversations to deliver a personalized buyer’s guide in minutes.

The experience is built for deeper kinds of decision-making, turning product discovery into a conversation that asks “smart questions to understand what you care about, pulling accurate, up-to-date details from high-quality sources, and bringing options back to you to refine the results.”

The new feature will begin rolling out today on mobile and web for logged-in ChatGPT users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans.

To further benefit users, OpenAI is making nearly unlimited usage available to all plans through the holidays to help with holiday shopping.

At the same time, OpenAI warns that shopping research might make mistakes about product details such as price and availability, despite performing well on internal evaluations.


OpenAI is at the forefront of the artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, and as a result, is constantly baffling the world with its new products and services.

In the last week alone, the AI leader made a sweeping number of announcements that are set to help users, teachers, and businesses, in addition to shoppers.

Just a month after revealing that OpenAI was enabling data residency (data stays within the specified region) for British customers and developers using OpenAI’s API Platform, ChatGPT Enterprise and ChatGPT Edu, the company has now announced data residency to more countries and regions around the world.

Data residency is currently available in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, with the company planning to expand availability to additional regions over time.

Ahead of this, OpenAI Academy said it was teaming up with DoorDash⁠, SCORE, and other local business support organizations to host the Small Business AI Jam—a nationwide, hands-on workshop designed to make AI practical and accessible for Main Street businesses.

The move will see over 1,000 small business owners from San Francisco, New York City, Houston, Detroit, and Miami build customized AI tools. Participants include accounting and law firms, restaurants, caterers, food trucks, retailers, clothing stores, convenience stores, marketing and design firms, local repair and cleaning companies, hair salons and barbershops, and more.

OpenAI also announced a collaboration with Foxconn (Hon Hai Technology Group), which will be focused on designing AI infrastructure hardware and boosting manufacturing in the United States. Through the deal, OpenAI will provide insights into emerging hardware needs across the AI industry to enhance Foxconn’s hardware design and development efforts.

The move doesn’t come with any purchase commitments or financial obligations; it could grow to include such an option.

In the education sector, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT for Teachers, a service that will benefit educators and school leaders, and will be free through June 2027 for verified U.S. K–12 educators.

It will bring them a secure workspace to adapt materials for their classrooms, get more out of prep time, collaborate with peers, and get comfortable using AI on their own terms. It includes unlimited messages with GPT‑5.1 Auto, search, file uploads, connectors, and image generation.

It will also come with an AI Literacy Blueprint that gives school leaders and policymakers a clear path for supporting teacher-led, responsible AI use.

The move builds on OpenAI’s partnership with the American Federation of Teachers⁠ to support teacher-led innovation and equip 400,000 K–12 educators with practical AI skills, as well as its collaboration with Ministries of Education globally.

What do you think about these developments, and will they help OpenAI capture a better position in the AI market?

Let us know in the comments below!