AI shopping helpers may push ads, so check the price yourself

AI shopping assistants can find products, compare features and even buy for you. But they may be showing you ads, and they may not see the lowest price. A tech columnist at Data Doctors advises treating the advice like a salesperson's: useful, but worth checking before you pay.

Ads are part of the picture

Amazon, Walmart and Google all offer AI-powered shopping assistants. You describe what you want, and the AI suggests products, compares features and looks for deals. Some tools can complete the purchase too.

The catch is that online stores earn real money from advertising, often when makers pay to have their products shown prominently. Amazon is adding sponsored placements to Alexa for Shopping, which replaced its Rufus assistant. Google includes shopping ads in its AI search results. Walmart has been testing ads in Sparky, its AI shopping assistant.

So a recommendation may not be based entirely on what is best for you. A product the AI suggests is not automatically the top option or the best deal.

It does not see every store

Many people assume an AI helper checks every retailer for the lowest price. It does not. It can only recommend from the websites and product catalogs it can reach.

Stores handle outside access differently. Amazon restricts certain third-party AI shopping tools, while Walmart works with select outside AI shopping agents. The result: an assistant might suggest a $150 item because it cannot see that another store has the identical one on sale for $125. Prices and stock also change constantly, so even a fresh recommendation may already be out of date.

Ask better questions

Vague requests get vague answers. Instead of asking, "What's the best tablet for my granddaughter?" the article suggests something like: "Compare tablets under $200 for a seven-year-old. Focus on durability, parental controls, battery life and ongoing subscription costs. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each recommendation."

The more specific the request, the more useful the answer is likely to be. You can also give the AI tablets you have already picked out and ask it to compare those, rather than letting it choose everything from scratch.

What to do

• Check the actual price on the retailer's own website before buying anything an AI recommends.
• Give the AI specific instructions, including your budget and what matters most to you.
• If you turn on automated buying, review the controls the tool offers.
• Where supported, set strict spending limits or require your approval before checkout.

AI can save a lot of time during the holiday shopping season, especially with complicated products or long piles of customer reviews. But convenience is not the same as savings.