Millions of Americans visit websites to shop for gifts during the holiday season. But AI is changing that habit as tech companies race to develop tools that let AI do the online shopping for users.
Perplexity, a pioneering technology company, has launched an AI shopping tool for paying customers in the US. The tool is designed to search for products, navigate retail websites, and even complete checkouts. Besides Perplexity, many large companies such as OpenAI and Google are also developing similar applications, with the ability to book flights, hotels, and shop for goods.
Perplexity is now partnering with Stripe to use one-time debit card technology, which reduces the risk of AI buying the wrong product or making a mistake. The tool will pay through Perplexity's account, rather than accessing the user's bank account directly.
Perplexity’s tool isn’t perfect, though. Tests showed that the AI took hours to process transactions and sometimes failed to make purchases because products were out of stock and the AI couldn’t keep up with them.
One notable point is that Perplexity uses human reviewers to ensure the AI is working properly. This raises privacy questions, as information such as user addresses and transactions could be monitored. The company has not disclosed the extent of human involvement in the monitoring process, leading to transparency concerns.
Meanwhile, competitors like Rabbit and Anthropic have developed AI that uses a website interface just like a real human user, a technology that allows AI to bypass barriers like CAPTCHAs, which are designed to keep bots out.
Shopping AI promises many benefits, from saving users time to finding deals that humans might miss. But the development also threatens the traditional business models of retailers and advertisers who rely on customer data to drive sales.
Still, AI technology is still in its infancy. Tools like Perplexity are just a glimpse of AI’s potential in e-commerce. In the coming years, improved versions from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity could reshape the way we shop online, while also addressing issues like privacy and the economic impact they create.
