OpenAI Launches AI-Powered UPI Payments Pilot Programme With BigBasket, Axis Bank, Airtel Payments

 

 

OpenAI has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI) and Razorpay to launch a pilot programme that enables users to make UPI payments directly via ChatGPT. This initiative will test how artificial intelligence (AI) can handle real financial transactions. It includes exploring products to completing purchases, while ensuring that user data and passwords remain protected.

 

Under this pilot programme, users will be able to chat with ChatGPT, browse products, and make secure UPI payments within the same conversation —without switching to another app or webpage.

The feature is currently in its trial phase and is functional with BigBasket becoming the first platform to support this integration. Axis Bank and Airtel Payments Bank are the official banking partners of the initiative.

Harshil Mahur, CEO of Razorpay, said on this occasion, “Agentic payments are the next big step in AI innovation. We’re turning AI assistants from simple discovery tools into full shopping companions.”

How does this work?

 

The pilot programme will use the existing UPI authentication layers, which include biometric and PIN-based verification. It is worth noting that ChatGPT will not have access to a user’s UPI PIN or password. Users will approve their online transactions via their registered banking app or UPI ID, which will keep sensitive data completely secure.

It will run on UPI Reserve Pay —a new feature that allows users to reserve funds for specific merchants before finalising a purchase. This means that users will only be able to keep a certain amount of online money in their pilot programme’s wallet, ensuring an extra layer of safety for AI-driven transactions.

 

It is worth noting that the UPI Reserve Pay feature has been developed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This feature was recently showcased at the Global Fintech Festival (GFF) 2025, held in Mumbai.

 

OpenAI recently launched the Apps feature in ChatGPT that allows users to operate apps within the conversational AI without the need to close or switch to another app. Apps like Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Spotify, and Zillow are currently supported.

 

To illustrate this feature, imagine users simply saying "Spotify, make a playlist for my party" in a chat. ChatGPT will then automatically activate the app. When connecting for the first time, ChatGPT will also ask the user for permission to share data.

Now that ChatGPT brings together both Apps and UPI payments, it will no longer be just an AI chatbot, but a digital companion that can understand user needs and provide suggestions, purchases and payments all in one place.