For a while now, AI companies have been promising that technology will be able to do everyday things for us, making our lives easier. The shopping sector could be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Now, Perplexity AI is making a huge leap forward by letting users in the US use the chatbot to book trips, buy products, and even snag concert tickets right from its chat window thanks to a partnership with PayPal.
As Reuters recently put it, this is a major step towards blending AI with shopping, planning, and payments. The goal is to turn the process into a smooth and conversational experience. It’s almost like having a super-efficient personal assistant living right inside your chat.
Starting this summer, if you’re a Perplexity Pro subscriber, the AI won’t just give you answers. It will also handle tasks for you, starting with your prompts. Imagine you’re on the hunt for a new pair of sneakers, planning a quick weekend getaway, or trying to score those hard-to-get concert tickets. Instead of switching between different apps and websites, you can simply ask Perplexity for help. It will find what you need and let you complete the purchase right there in the chat, using PayPal.
PayPal takes care of everything related to the transaction behind the scenes. This includes everything from processing the payment and arranging shipping to tracking your order and sending receipts. When you’re ready to confirm your purchase, a single tap will be enough. This streamlined process is all thanks to PayPal’s secure passkey feature, designed to make transactions feel incredibly natural and effortless.
The era of agentic AI that does things for you
This upgrade is a clear sign that we’re stepping into a new era of online shopping. AI is no longer just for quick searches or product recommendations. Now, it’s rolling up its sleeves and becoming an active participant in your shopping journey. This is often called “agent commerce,” meaning your AI assistant isn’t just suggesting; it’s doing. It finds what you need, handles the checkout, and manages the entire process for you.
With PayPal’s global reach of around 430 million active users, this kind of AI integration really highlights how tools with “agent” capabilities can manage entire tasks and processes. Shopping is certainly shaping up to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this AI revolution.