shopping – Tech News

Study finds AI chatbots recommend pricier options to wealthier shoppers

Researchers at Cisco Foundation AI and Carnegie Mellon University published a study finding that popular AI chatbots, including Claude and ChatGPT, recommend more expensive products to users whose personal data suggests higher wealth — even when those users ask for the cheapest available option. The authors termed the phenomenon "adversarial delegation," describing a situation where the same personal data access that makes AI agents useful enables them to act against users' stated interests.
https://qz.com/ai-chatbots-claude-chatgpt-wealth-pricing-study-100726

ChatGPT can now virtually try on clothes for you

OpenAI is again experimenting with how its conversational AI assistant, ChatGPT, can help users as they shop online. On Thursday, the company announced the global launch of two new shopping features, including a way to virtually try on clothing and accessories and a new favoriting function that can help users save products they like for later reference.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/01/chatgpt-can-now-virtually-try-on-clothes-for-you

Samsung phones are getting a weird AI shopping platform nobody asked for

Glance AI, a brand owned by mobile advertising company InMobi, has announced a partnership with the Samsung Galaxy Store to roll out its e-commerce platform to Galaxy phones in the US. The company’s app centers around what it calls “a Generative AI shopping platform,” which is a serious contender for the most cursed phrase I’ve read today. The “experience” comprises both a standalone app and a lock screen component to try and sell you clothes. Crucially, the whole thing is “fully opt-in,” which, thank Christ. But even if you opt out — which you absolutely should! — this feels like a sign of things to come as advertisers try to leverage AI to sell us more stuff. Buckle up.
https://www.theverge.com/news/679541/samsung-galaxy-glance-ai-lock-screen-app

Turns out people are using AI like a personal shopper

“The conversion gap reinforces that AI is being utilized during the research and consideration stage, in advance of when shoppers are ready to hit the buy button.” But, it added, the closing gap “shows that consumers are also increasingly comfortable completing a transaction directly after an AI-powered chat experience.”
https://qz.com/gen-ai-personal-shopper-adobe-e-commerce-1851770510

Self-Checkout Is a Failed Experiment

You know how this process actually goes by now: You still have to wait in line. The checkout kiosks bleat and flash when you fail to set a purchase down in the right spot. Scanning those items is sometimes a crapshoot—wave a barcode too vigorously in front of an uncooperative machine, and suddenly you’ve scanned it two or three times.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/10/self-checkout-kiosks-grocery-retail-stores/675676/?utm_source=apple_news

Instagram to Drop Shopping Tab From Main Feed

(Credit: Getty Images/Thomas Trutschel/Photothek)

Starting next month, the social network plans to axe the Shop tab and move its Create shortcut front and center at the bottom of the screen.

The in-app shopping feature isn’t going anywhere, though. Folks will still be able(Opens in a new window) to set up and run a virtual store, and users can continue ordering products in Feed, Stories, Reels, and ads.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/instagram-to-drop-shopping-tab-from-main-feed