For a while, it seemed that AI was a phase that every business felt they had to offer. But now it seems that AI is in fact becoming a core part of our everyday lives.
First, it changed how you looked things up online. And now, it could change how you shop online, says Visa.
In fact, AI-powered shopping increased traffic to U.S. retail sites by 4,700% in 2025, according to Adobe.
And before you ask: No, I didn’t use AI to write this article.
AI shopping on the rise
Businesses are realizing that AI isn’t just about making recommendations or making things faster.
People are using AI to make decisions.
And AI is already influencing how people shop. About 40% of Americans have made a purchase they normally would not have even considered after consulting an AI agent or tool, according to the Visa Business-to-AI report.
Key findings from Visa’s report
- 58% of Americans are comfortable with using AI to compare prices.
- 55% are comfortable with AI applying discounts.
- 38% are comfortable with AI completing a purchase.
- 27% are okay with AI spending money autonomously without limits.
- 60% would not allow AI to make a purchase without approval.
“Commerce is moving from market-to-human to market-to-machine,” Frank Cooper III, chief marketing officer at Visa, said in a statement.
The company is dubbing it B2AI, with AI agents taking on the role of evaluating, negotiating, and transactions.
“In that world, as always, trust becomes the critical infrastructure. If we don’t build it into machine-mediated commerce, adoption stalls,” said Cooper.
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AI shopping use brings up trust concerns
While the survey results show that many Americans are still cautious about giving AI total control of their wallets, businesses are taking note.
Shopify has rolled out an AI feature that allows shoppers to buy products and check out from e-commerce shops directly through AI tools like ChatGPT.
More retail stocks
- CVS adds a radical new store concept
- Ross is betting on shoppers’ love of discounts
- Beyond Meat has an inventory problem
There are also AI shopping assistants that can help shoppers find the best prices on items and make recommendations.
“The message is unmistakable: People are open to AI acting for them, not instead of them,” said Cooper. “Our findings show that trust is the adoption switch for agentic commerce. Consumers are willing to let AI act on their behalf, but only when they retain visibility, control, and the ability to intervene.”
The rise of AI agents has also led to more bot use, forcing payment providers like Visa to introduce more guardrails between e-commerce sellers and AI assistants.
AI trust also differs among generations. The Visa report found that nearly half of Gen Z say they trust payment AI systems, compared to just 20% of Boomers. Meanwhile, half of Gen Z and Millennials using AI shopping assistants have made purchases that they wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
The findings from Visa echo a similar finding from a YouGov survey. Still, the same survey showed that only 14% would trust AI to place orders for them.
Related: Agentic AI is coming and most companies are not ready
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