If AI buys for consumers, who are marketers actually persuading?
Visa is working with OpenAI to bring payments to ChatGPT, so AI can now shop and pay for you from start to finish.Here’s how it works:
1. You type what you want: “white leather sneakers under $200, size 8”
2. AI compares options based on exactly what you’re looking for and picks the best match
3. You approve, and it checks out using your saved Visa credentials
No browsing. No cart. No friction.
For decades, marketers have fought to capture attention, the right ad, the right click, the right moment to convert. But AI agents don’t click on ads. They only do what you tell them to, finding exactly what fits your prompt. Emotion, brand loyalty, and flashy ads don’t factor in.
AI agents only evaluate what the consumer requests: price, reviews, and shipping speed. Something as vague as “ships in 3-5 business days” can get you skipped over by a competitor with clearer delivery info. If your product info isn’t detailed, accurate and easy for AI to read, it won’t pick you.
As AI takes over checkout, the next generation of marketers won’t be writing ads for people; they’ll be optimizing for the algorithm that does the buying.