"We're moving beyond AI as a research tool to AI as a purchasing agent. Amy Wu Martin from puts numbers to this transition: "ChatGPT will drive over $10B of retail GMV in 2026." She also predicts ChatGPT will launch ads in 2026 and "exceed $1B in ad revenue in the first year." , early stage investor and former Co-Founder/CEO of Magento, sees something bigger at play: "When platforms start building apps, they're not diversifying. They're fighting for survival.""
"He points to history: "OpenAI just launched a shopping research tool. Google rolled out Workspace twenty years ago. Microsoft bundled Office with Windows in the 90s. Same playbook. Different decade." The endgame? Lock-in. "Once you store payment info, once you complete transactions, once your purchase history lives there - you're not just using a chatbot. You're locked into an operating system.""
AI is shifting from a research tool to an active purchasing agent, with ChatGPT projected to drive over $10 billion in retail GMV and exceed $1 billion in ad revenue in 2026. Platforms are building apps not for diversification but to secure survival, following historical bundling strategies like Workspace and Office. Once payment information and purchase histories live on AI platforms, users become locked into platform operating systems. Agentic commerce transaction volume is expected to reach meaningful levels in 2026 as consumers move from research to purchasing on AI platforms. Retailers will need to create specialized 'super-feeds' for AI platforms, potentially involving monetary transactions.
Read at Forbes
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