The news: OpenAI is now allowing users to connect to select third-party apps within the ChatGPT interface. The integrations expand the chatbot’s utility while encouraging users to spend more time within the platform.

• Expedia and Booking.com are among the companies piloting the new capabilities.
• DoorDash, Instacart, OpenTable, Uber, and Target are developing apps that will launch later this year.

How it works: Users can call up the app by mentioning it by name, then adding their query. For example, prompting “Expedia, find me flights to New York Nov. 27-30” will cause ChatGPT to pull up the app and conduct the requested search. ChatGPT can also suggest relevant apps, although it is unclear how this might work if multiple companies offer similar services (like DoorDash and Uber).

Users will be required to sign in to their third-party accounts the first time they use the feature, and will be able to see what data will be shared.

What it means: ChatGPT’s new app integrations are a step toward turning it from a chatbot into a fully-fledged digital assistant. In particular, the integrations with Expedia and Booking.com could put ChatGPT well on the path toward becoming users’ first stop for trip planning—and enable OpenAI to further erode Google’s search dominance.

While ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout launch was heralded as a game changer for ecommerce, the new in-app integrations could be more immediately impactful because they don’t require a drastic shift in user behavior. Roughly 3 in 10 US consumers (29%) already use AI services to plan their trips, while generative AI (genAI) traffic to US travel sites has grown exponentially since July 2024, according to Adobe.

• For now, the technology is mostly being used for research and inspiration: Over half (53%) of those who have used AI for trip planning employed it to discover local attractions, restaurants, and other travel tips.
• But users are beginning to lean more heavily on AI tools to guide their travel spending. Nearly 2 in 5 US travelers rely on AI for accommodation suggestions, while 30% use it for air travel and 40% for planning dining experiences, per an April Criteo survey. One in 5 uses AI to plan their entire trip—a proportion that could quickly rise in tandem with adoption of ChatGPT’s in-app tools.

Our take: Consumers may not yet be willing to make transactions within ChatGPT, but they are open to its recommendations. ChatGPT’s integrations with Expedia and Booking.com could transform how people approach trip planning, all while siphoning more traffic from Google—and familiarizing users with the idea of making more purchasing decisions with the help of AI.

ChatGPT’s app integrations could be more appealing to retailers than agentic solutions, because—at least for now—the transaction occurs outside of the chatbot. That allows companies to retain control over key aspects of the customer journey. However, first movers have a clear advantage. Those that wait too long could get lost amid a crowd of retail apps—and may ultimately be forced to pay to get in front of ChatGPT users.