Where the workflow shifted
OpenAI function calling connects model output to external tools, so commerce assistants need clear boundaries when actions affect orders or money.
An assistant can prepare a return request or retrieve order status, but refunding, cancellation, address changes, and policy exceptions need explicit confirmation paths.
Tool names are not outcomes
The signal matters when it changes how a team ships, reviews, or recovers work, not when it only names another tool.
Check permissions and failure
- Split post-purchase actions into read, draft, submit, refund, and exception-approval permission levels
- Keep the test narrow: one low-risk task or tool entry before connecting permissions, logs, failure handling, and human takeover to production
What still needs proof
Without confirmation boundaries, support automation mixes commercial promises, compliance risk, and buyer experience. Keep the original source open so the announcement, the evidence, and this site's interpretation stay separate.