PhonePe and OpenAI on Wednesday announced a strategic collaboration that will bring ChatGPT deeper into PhonePe’s consumer and merchant platforms, in what both companies are positioning as their most expansive integration in India to date.
The partnership will make ChatGPT discoverable across the main PhonePe app, the PhonePe for Business app and the company’s Android marketplace, Indus Appstore.
The aim, the companies said, is to help millions of existing users access AI-driven assistance for payments, shopping and everyday planning without leaving familiar journeys.
According to both sides, the integration is designed as a long-term programme rather than a standalone chatbot launch. Instead of adding ChatGPT as a separate feature, PhonePe will surface contextual AI prompts across its ecosystem to carry out travel planning hints during ticket bookings and natural language help for users who prefer typing or speaking over navigating menus.
Officials said the focus is on faster discovery of relevant information, not on replacing human judgement.
Users browsing shopping deals could see AI-generated comparisons, while those trying to understand a financial product might get a quick summary with links to detailed disclosures.
For merchants, PhonePe for Business will eventually see AI tools that help draft catalogue descriptions, responses and offers.
The collaboration also aligns with OpenAI’s recent push in India, including the rollout of ChatGPT Go, a country-specific subscription tier priced at around Rs 399 a month.
At the same time, India’s digital payments stack is emerging as a proving ground for AI-assisted commerce. NPCI, Razorpay and OpenAI are currently piloting AI-enabled UPI payments inside ChatGPT, as UPI processes over 20 billion transactions a month.
PhonePe, one of India’s most widely used UPI apps, has recently moved into cross-border UPI acceptance and its own app marketplace.
Adding generative AI to consumer journeys is seen as a natural extension, though the companies stressed that any future use of AI within payments flows will have to comply with India’s regulatory and safety frameworks.
If rolled out effectively, the integration could reduce friction for users navigating money, commerce and information.Someone new to mutual funds could get a plain-language explainer; a group planning a holiday from a Tier-2 city might use a single chat interface to coordinate budgets, itineraries and checklists.