LOS ANGELES – Americans are reaching for artificial intelligence to help them shop in record numbers, but they’re not ready to take its word for it.
According to the Trust in AI Commerce Report, a new study released by Product.ai, 43% of U.S. online shoppers have used an AI assistant to research a purchase in the past 90 days. Among shoppers under age 44, that figure climbs to 55 to 58 percent. Yet among those who use AI, 86% still verify the AI’s recommendation through another source before they buy.
“Shoppers who already use AI are doing the verification work themselves: Eighty-six percent of them check the AI’s recommendation against another source before they buy,” said Michael Quoc, founder and CEO of Product.ai.
Caution grows as the stakes rise. Asked the most they’d spend on an AI-recommended product without consulting any other source, 42% of all shoppers drew the line at under $25 – a price point the report names the AI Autonomy Threshold – and more than 60% capped it at $50 or less. Only 5% would trust AI for a purchase over $500.
When shoppers ranked seven sources by how much they trust each for product research, AI landed sixth, ahead of only YouTube creators. Friends and family ranked first, followed by online customer reviews and expert publications, with brand and retailer websites close behind.
“Shoppers trust AI to help them research. They just want to confirm it before they spend,” Quoc said.
The full report can be viewed HERE.