Gemini strikes new deal with Walmart, further narrowing ChatGPT's lead

11 Jan 2026

After a slow start, Google’s AI chatbot Gemini is rapidly gaining momentum, challenging ChatGPT and pushing OpenAI into “code red” mode. Google has taken another major step by partnering with Walmart to integrate product recommendations directly into Gemini, personalized using users’ purchase history and offering fast delivery options.

This partnership highlights the rise of agent-led commerce, a major shift in retail already driven by social platforms and now accelerated by AI. While Gemini still has fewer users than ChatGPT, it is gaining ground thanks to the successful launch of Gemini 3 and Google’s powerful ecosystem.

Google is also introducing the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard developed with Walmart, Shopify, Etsy, and others to enable seamless shopping through AI agents. OpenAI is pursuing a similar strategy with its own commerce protocol. The goal for both companies is to let users discover and purchase products directly within AI conversations.