Meta AI Reportedly Testing Personalised Shopping Recommendations to Compete With ChatGPT Gemini

Meta is said to be testing new shopping and research capabilities within its artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The company is also working on features that would allow users to research products and receive shopping suggestions directly from its AI assistant, known as Meta AI, a report has said. It is said that this move will ‘increased Meta’s wider efforts to compete with other AI platforms such as OpenAI’S ChatGPT and Google’, both of which have recently added new features to their browsing and shopping tools.

Meta AI’s Shopping Feature

A Bloomberg report says Meta’s new shopping tool is being released to select US-based users of the Meta AI web interface. The chatbot will respond with a carousel of product images, and users can apparently ask for product recommendations (including clothing, electronics or accessories).

The AI assistant could summarise product specifications rather than direct users to external websites or search engines. The brand, website and price are reportedly captioned in each product card with the title of the label. report, a chatbot also provides’short-term explanation of why those products were recommended in bullet-point format and the reason for them was that they should be.

It could allow users to ask natural language questions like comparing smartphones, laptops or home appliances and receive detailed breakdowns including pricing range-based prices, feature comparisons (and possible pros and cons) and potential advantages and disadvantages. In addition, the report suggests that Meta could eventually integrate links with online retailers or shopping sites and may also be developing monetisation opportunities through affiliate partnerships.

If the chatbot’s recommendations are personalised according to what Meta already knows about the user, including where they were located and inferred gender when it is used. For example, in one test cited in the report when asked to search for puffer jackets (along with the name of the account), the assistant mentioned that the user was located in New York and suggested women’s jacket suits.

The report, citing a Meta spokesperson, said the shopping tool is being tested but declined to provide further details about wider availability or monetisation plans.

The move comes at a time when other competing AI platforms are seeking to integrate commerce-related features.

ChatGPT, for example, has introduced agentic shopping experiences that allow consumers to explore products and in some cases make purchases using instant checkout integrations with partner merchants. Google, on the other hand, has been looking to expand AI-based shopping-related features in the Search engine and the Gemini app. As competition in the AI space is likely to grow, AI companies are looking to position their assistants as more than just chattel interfaces.