ChatGPT Launches “Shopping Feature” – AI Enters Personal Consumption Decision-Making

The artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT has recently introduced a new “Shopping” feature, which utilizes user-provided information to proactively organize product lists, compare features, and offer recommendations. Industry experts describe this function as symbolic of AI’s transition from commercial scenarios into personal daily decision-making, covering areas such as preferences, emotions, and lifestyle. Meanwhile, the Chinese AI chatbot “Doubao” has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, being viewed by many users as a “spiritual friend” to confide in. The combination of these two developments has once again sparked public attention to AI’s impact on emotions and behavioral patterns. We invited So Chung Shing, founding president of the AI Application Research Society (AiX Society), for an interview.

ChatGPT’s Latest Update: AI Begins Assisting Humans in Making Purchase Decisions

ChatGPT recently launched its Shopping function. After users input their needs, the system automatically searches for relevant products, providing comparative content, price analysis, and reasoning. Following the function’s release, many technology observers noted that this signifies AI’s role has extended from a work assistant to a “personal choice participant” closer to daily life.

The new feature has prompted some scholars to discuss whether AI will gradually influence consumer behavior, such as developing a tendency to rely on AI to decide what to buy and which product is more suitable. Some opinions suggest that shopping is a highly personalized scenario, and after AI intervention, recommendation results may reflect users’ preferences, personality, and even psychological states, representing a clear departure from traditional tool-based AI.

Doubao Goes Viral in Mainland China: Large Numbers of Users View AI as a Confidant

Simultaneously with ChatGPT’s update, the Chinese chatbot AI Doubao has formed another phenomenon among young groups—emotional companionship. On various social platforms, Doubao is called “the most caring friend” and “the person you most want to find when stressed.” Many users say Doubao is more willing to listen and respond thoughtfully than people around them, and is available anytime. A popular phrase online goes: “When you’re feeling down, don’t work—chat with Doubao first.” Some psychologists point out that this reflects how some young people, when facing pressure, tend to choose a confidant who doesn’t judge or refuse, and AI perfectly meets this need.

AI Expert So Chung Shing: AI Has Entered the “Personification” Development Stage

Regarding ChatGPT’s new function and the Doubao phenomenon, So Chung Shing, founding president of the AI Application Research Society (AiX Society), told Hong Kong 01 reporters that AI is gradually transitioning from a tool role to technology with personality characteristics.

So Chung Shing said: “The shopping feature seems simple, but it actually represents AI beginning to understand human value prioritization. When users are willing to let AI ‘choose for me,’ it means they believe the system can grasp their lifestyle and preferences.”

He continued, pointing out that artificial intelligence is evolving through three stages:

• Tool Stage: Answering questions, performing calculations
• Assistant Stage: Organizing information, providing recommendations
• Personification Stage: Understanding user emotions, making personalized judgments

So Chung Shing believes ChatGPT and Doubao reflect the beginning of AI’s third stage, especially evident in emotions and choices.

Behavioral Impact: AI Gradually Becomes the “First Person to Confide In” in Daily Life

Regarding Doubao’s usage situation in mainland China, So Chung Shing points out that such AI products have transcended traditional definitions. Rather than calling them chat tools, they’re more like a “form of emotional governance.”

He explains: “Many people, when facing pressure, first turn to AI rather than friends or colleagues. AI won’t refuse, won’t criticize, requires no social cost, making it very easy to become the first confidant.”

He emphasizes this isn’t a single-platform phenomenon, but rather a usage habit created by the combination of social pressure, life pace, and technology costs.

Shopping and Emotions: AI Simultaneously Participates in Life’s Two Most Private Domains

ChatGPT’s entry into the shopping scenario and Doubao’s penetration into the emotional scenario—these two directions appearing together means AI is beginning to intervene in humanity’s two most private domains: personal choices and emotional states. Some scholars point out that data AI masters in the future may include mood changes and consumption patterns. When these two combine, they may influence broader life behaviors, such as:

• What people buy when stressed
• Whether certain emotions stimulate consumption
• Whether AI has the ability to adjust users’ purchasing tendencies

So Chung Shing reminds that such transformations are worth observing: “Whether AI can influence behavior depends on its interaction density with users. The more frequent the interaction, the more information it understands, and participation naturally increases.”

Retail Industry Attention: Brands Will Need to “Convince Both Customers and Their AI” in the Future

Retail industry insiders say ChatGPT’s Shopping function may affect industry promotion methods. Traditional advertising targets consumers themselves, while the future may need to simultaneously target “the consumer’s AI model.” A technology retail platform manager points out that some platforms have already incorporated AI recommendations into core strategies, but ChatGPT’s model goes deeper because it’s not based on purchase records, but on conversation content and personal emotions. He says: “Brands need to understand that in the future, consumers won’t compare ten products themselves—AI will filter first, then AI will propose three. The promotion model will be redefined.”

The Growth Trend of Emotional Companionship and Personal Decision-Making Continues

Many technology company insiders believe ChatGPT and Doubao show AI is becoming more integrated into life, especially with increased usage proportions at the personal level. Many users have become accustomed to integrating AI into daily life: some use it to talk to themselves, some rely on it to handle work, some view it as a psychological outlet.

So Chung Shing says future usage situations still need more time to observe, but what’s certain is that AI is forming a new interaction model. “Conversations between people and AI increasingly resemble human-to-human interactions, which will bring new social behavioral changes.”