AI is changing everything we do, including shopping.
LTK, a social shopping platform that allows influencers to earn commissions on products they promote, will gradually roll out a new AI chatbot for its consumer apps in the US starting this week. This feature shows you relevant product and influencer content based on your conversations. LTK will be available to all users in the US on Monday.
The tool is specifically trained on LTK content uploaded by creators and is powered by OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT. We may use the open web to answer questions, but all results point to LTK’s content pool.
For example, if someone is looking for new running shoes for their next marathon, they can ask the LTK chatbot to find creators who post content about running, see recommended sneaker brands, or only show posts with green shoes.
The bot remembers conversations and helps customize future chats.
“Two people could send the exact same opening message to a chatbot, but it could end up being sent in completely different directions,” said Nate Jones, a data scientist at LTK. “You can ask what’s trending right now, what’s happening in pop culture, and it’s all delivered to you in web search and LTK search.”
Shopping has undergone an AI transformation in recent years, especially as big tech companies develop chatbot assistants and agent-based shopping tools. Amazon offers an AI chatbot known as Rufus. Meta said in its latest earnings call that it will consider shopping tools for agents. Google has already established itself in this space with its “AI mode” shopping experience. Social apps like TikTok and Pinterest are also powering AI-powered product searches in their content feeds.
“This chatbot significantly improves the discovery experience and goes beyond just static search to actual conversational discovery,” Joelle Angel, LTK product manager, told Business Insider.
According to the company, in-app search is the second most used feature in the LTK app (first being a feed of creators that users follow).
As with other products shared on the LTK app, creators can earn commissions when LTK’s AI chatbot provides recommendations.
“Creator commerce only works when creators, brands, and consumers win,” LTK President Amber Wenz Box said in a statement. “It requires control, transparency and proper attribution.”
LTK incorporates affiliate payments into their chatbot, but larger companies like ChatGPT and Claude do not. This can cause financial hardship for creators and product reviewers who rely on referral fees to make a living.
LTK, formerly known as RewardStyle, built its business on an influencer affiliate marketing model. The company built relationships with thousands of bloggers and social media influencers, and eventually launched its own consumer app to reach users directly.
Last year, the company introduced a series of new features to encourage creators to post more lifestyle content, not just shoppable posts.
In 2026, the company will focus on developing its brand on marketing platforms.
