Only 13% in a small poll would let AI do all their shopping

Only 13% of people in a small poll would let an AI agent do all their shopping. An AI agent is a program that can act for you, such as picking and buying items. CX Today asked its LinkedIn followers, and most wanted to keep control of the purchase.

What the poll found

The poll ran from 2 to 9 November 2026 and drew 32 votes. CX Today says voters were mostly customer experience professionals, not a typical group of shoppers. It calls the result a temperature check, not a survey. Here is how the votes split:

• 41%: No, they would browse and buy themselves.
• 31%: Only if they approve each purchase first.
• 16%: Only for boring basics.
• 13%: Yes, hand it all over.

Add the two middle groups and 47% are open to an AI shopper, but only with limits.

Why the question came up

On 2 November, CX Today reported that Amazon wants its Alexa assistant to become your default shopping agent. Amazon says more than 400 million customers have used Alexa for Shopping in the past 12 months. CEO Andy Jassy told investors he believes it will be the primary shopping agent customers use to shop Amazon.

Amazon also says it has added more than 100 new capabilities, including building gift lists, adjusting Subscribe & Save deliveries and managing payments. It says customer interactions grew 570% year over year.

Trust is the sticking point

The poll suggests the question is not whether an AI can shop. It is whether people trust it to spend their money. Amazon also said US users of the feature spent 50% more per order than those who did not use it. CX Today points out that this alone does not show a better experience. Amazon did not say whether the assistant improved customer confidence, reduced returns or shortened decision time.

If shoppers suspect the AI is built to make them spend more, not choose better, the 41% who prefer to browse are unlikely to change their minds.

What to look for

If an AI shopper offers to buy for you, a few features make it safer to try:

• A step where you approve the purchase before money moves.
• A clear reason for why it picked that product, price and seller.
• A way to cancel, return and get a refund that is quicker than the purchase was.
• A start with low-stakes repeat buys, such as basic household items.

Zhengyang Yang, a TikTok product designer speaking in a personal capacity, put it this way: a good AI shopping assistant should know when to help, when to quit and when to let users quit.

What is not known

The poll is too small to say what shoppers in general think. How many people will actually use AI shopping agents, and on what terms, is not yet clear.