ChatGPT adds a virtual try-on feature for shopping

OpenAI is again experimenting with how its conversational AI assistant, ChatGPT, can help users shop online. On Thursday, the company announced the global launch of two new shopping features: a way to virtually try on clothing and accessories, and a new favoriting function that lets users save products they like for later reference.

The updates arrive as AI assistants increasingly explore consumer shopping use cases. OpenAI has already had to pivot away from one earlier idea in this space, an instant-checkout feature that ended up not performing well. More recently, agentic AI startup Instinct began pushing product recommendations to users, though some felt its proactive suggestions were an overreach, closer to ads than helpful suggestions.

OpenAI said the new shopping features run on its newly launched ChatGPT Images 2.5 model, which it claims produces more natural lighting and richer textures, follows editing instructions more reliably, and reduces image-generation latency. Virtual try-on lets ChatGPT users upload a selfie or full-body photo to visualize how an item of clothing or an accessory might look on them; the option appears as a new “Try On” button in ChatGPT’s shopping results. Users can also upload an image of an item, such as a screenshot from the web, and ask ChatGPT to try it on for them.

The other new feature, Favorites, lets users save products they discover to a Library inside the app, alongside their try-on images, so they can return to them later. OpenAI said ChatGPT can help users shop in other ways too: people can describe a style they want to try and ask it to shop for the pieces needed to complete the look, or upload photos of celebrities’ outfits and ask ChatGPT to find similar items available for purchase.

That last capability moves ChatGPT into territory Pinterest and Google have dominated in recent years as sources of fashion inspiration and discovery that convert into sales for online retailers. Whether ChatGPT becomes people’s go-to tool for this kind of shopping remains to be seen, especially given that Google itself launched a virtual try-on feature last year.

Why it matters

The global rollout signals OpenAI is betting shopping, rather than search or coding, will be one of ChatGPT’s biggest consumer use cases — but it follows a string of misfires in commerce (instant checkout, pushback on proactive recommendations) that suggest getting AI-driven shopping right is harder than it looks.