36氪·2026-01-15 00:27Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the ongoing competition among tech giants in the AI and e-commerce sectors, highlighting how AI is reshaping the shopping experience and the dynamics of market competition [4][5][6]. Group 1: AI Integration in E-commerce - Walmart and Google announced a partnership to integrate Walmart's products into Google's Gemini, allowing users to browse and purchase items directly through AI chat interfaces [4]. - OpenAI's ChatGPT introduced the "Instant Checkout" feature, enabling users to complete purchases without leaving the chat interface, marking a significant shift in the shopping process [5][9]. - On Black Friday 2025, AI-driven shopping led to a record online spending of $11.8 billion in the U.S., reflecting a 9.1% increase from the previous year, indicating AI's growing influence in consumer behavior [5]. Group 2: Competitive Landscape - The competition is evolving from search engines to e-commerce platforms, with major players like Google, OpenAI, and retail giants vying for control over transaction entry points [5][6]. - Amazon is taking measures to restrict AI companies from accessing its platform data, indicating its concern over losing control of the shopping process [17][18]. - Shopify is adopting a collaborative approach, allowing AI tools to assist in transactions while ensuring that the final payment process remains within its ecosystem [19][20]. Group 3: Challenges and Future Outlook - Despite advancements, AI shopping functionalities are still in early stages, with issues like "hallucination" affecting the reliability of product recommendations [21]. - The article suggests that the ongoing technological transformation will lead to a redefinition of the boundaries between search, transaction, and decision-making processes, rather than a complete replacement of existing systems [21][22]. - The competition among tech companies is expected to result in a landscape where no single entity can dominate, emphasizing the need for adaptability and innovation [22].