In a landmark move blending artificial intelligence and fintech innovation, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Razorpay have teamed up with OpenAI to launch a pilot project that enables UPI payments directly through ChatGPT. The initiative marks a major step in India’s push toward AI-powered digital transactions.
AI-Powered Payments on ChatGPT
Launched on October 10, 2025, the pilot allows users to chat, discover products, and complete transactions seamlessly within ChatGPT using Unified Payments Interface (UPI). The project will initially roll out with Bigbasket as the first e-commerce partner, supported by Axis Bank and Airtel Payments Bank as official banking partners.
“This pilot demonstrates the next evolution of conversational AI,” said Harshil Mathur, CEO of Razorpay. “We’re transforming AI assistants from simple information tools into intelligent shopping companions capable of secure, real-time payments.”
Powered by UPI’s ‘Reserve Pay’ Feature
The payment system runs on UPI’s latest feature, Reserve Pay, which lets users pre-authorize and reserve funds for specific merchants before finalizing a transaction. This adds an additional layer of security and fraud prevention, ensuring safe AI-led payments.
Agentic AI: The Next Big Step
At the heart of the project lies agentic AI — artificial intelligence capable of acting autonomously with minimal human input. This means ChatGPT can assist users from product discovery to checkout, streamlining the entire shopping experience.
Oliver Jay, Managing Director of International Strategy at OpenAI, said, “We’re thrilled to collaborate with NPCI and explore how AI can integrate with one of the world’s most trusted real-time payment systems.”
India’s Growing AI Payment Ecosystem
The pilot will examine how AI-driven UPI transactions can expand securely across different industries while maintaining user control and transparency.
In a parallel move, Cashfree Payments also unveiled its own agentic AI payment solution, signaling rising competition in India’s rapidly evolving AI-payments sector.
OpenAI’s Broader AI Developments
In related news, OpenAI is reportedly testing a new ‘Clinician Mode’ for ChatGPT, potentially offering preliminary health guidance tools before users consult medical professionals. This follows the company’s earlier announcement highlighting GPT-5’s enhanced health-focused capabilities.
