Artificial Intelligence

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For more than two decades, search engines have been the starting point for consumer decision-making. Whether researching a new laptop, comparing travel options or hunting for the best price on everyday essentials, shoppers have relied on search to guide their purchasing journeys.

Today, artificial intelligence is beginning to challenge that role.

Instead of typing a series of keywords into a search engine and sorting through pages of results, consumers can now ask AI tools a direct question and receive a curated answer in seconds. As adoption grows, AI is increasingly becoming a new gateway between consumers and brands, reshaping how people discover products, evaluate options, and make purchasing decisions.

But while AI may be changing how consumers search, it is not changing what they ultimately want: confidence that they are making the right purchase at the right price.

According to a recent survey from my company, Prosper Insights & Analytics, nearly 38% of U.S. adults already use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot. Adoption is particularly strong among Millennials, where 45% report actively using generative AI.

The data also reveals that consumers are using AI for highly practical purposes. Among current users, 54% use AI for internet searching and nearly half use it for research and information gathering. Rather than viewing AI as a novelty, consumers increasingly see it as a tool that can help simplify complex decisions.

This shift has important implications for retailers and brands.

Historically, the consumer journey involved multiple touchpoints. Shoppers searched online, visited retailer websites, compared prices, read reviews, and looked for discounts before making a final purchase. AI has the potential to compress much of that process, serving as a single destination for information, recommendations, and product discovery.

Consumer behavior suggests that transition is already underway.

According to RetailMeNot's latest consumer survey, conducted in May 2026 among 1,137 consumers, more than half of shoppers have already used AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini or shopping assistants to help with shopping decisions this year. Specifically, 23% say they use AI regularly for shopping decisions, while another 28% use it occasionally. An additional 15% are interested in trying AI shopping tools in the future.

The findings point to a rapidly evolving shopping landscape where consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable incorporating AI into their purchase journeys.

Yet adoption does not necessarily equal trust.

When asked what they trust AI tools to help with while shopping, consumers were most likely to cite finding deals or discounts (31%) and comparing prices across retailers (31%). One-quarter trust AI for product recommendations, while another 25% trust it to identify alternative or lower-cost products.

At the same time, 25% of shoppers say they would not trust AI tools for shopping assistance at all.

That tension highlights where AI appears to be creating the most value today: helping consumers navigate an increasingly complex retail environment while still leaving the final decision in human hands.

"More than half of shoppers have already used AI to help them buy something this year, and they're putting harder questions to it than they ever typed into a search bar," said Stephanie Carls, Retail Insights Expert at RetailMeNot. "Mostly they're comparing prices and finding deals. That's people trying to move faster without giving up control. They want the research done in seconds. What they're after is knowing they got the best price before they buy."

That behavior aligns with broader trends across the retail industry.

According to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, nearly 46% of consumers say AI is somewhat or very important in influencing their behaviors. Among Millennials, that figure rises to nearly 62%, underscoring the growing influence AI has among younger consumers who are often early adopters of emerging technologies.

The impact is beginning to show up in shopping decisions as well. Prosper's research found that AI tools already influence purchases across a variety of retail categories, including electronics, apparel, beauty, grocery, and home improvement. While influence levels remain relatively modest today, the trend suggests AI is becoming another important touchpoint in the consumer journey.

At the same time, traditional drivers of purchase behavior remain remarkably resilient.

Prosper's data shows that coupons continue to influence grocery purchases for 42.8% of consumers overall and 57% of Boomers. Email marketing remains a meaningful influence in categories such as apparel, where it continues to outperform AI as a purchase driver.

The lesson for brands is clear: AI is not replacing existing channels. It is joining them.

Independent research from McKinsey & Company supports this view. While generative AI adoption continues to accelerate among both businesses and consumers, trust, transparency, and accuracy remain among the most important factors influencing long-term engagement.

Those considerations become even more important as AI evolves from information provider to decision-making assistant.

The next frontier is agentic AI, systems capable of taking actions on behalf of users. Rather than simply recommending products, future AI assistants may compare prices, build shopping carts, monitor price drops, and complete purchases automatically.

Consumer interest is already emerging. According to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, approximately one in five consumers would consider using agentic AI to buy groceries or book restaurant reservations, while Millennials consistently demonstrate greater willingness to delegate routine tasks to AI systems.

Still, widespread adoption will depend on consumer confidence.

"Consumers want to reach checkout already sure they got it right," Carls said. "They're using AI to figure out whether something's actually worth it, at the right price and the right time. The decision stays theirs. They want to shop smarter and feel confident before they spend."

That distinction may ultimately determine the future of AI-powered commerce.

The most successful AI experiences are unlikely to be those that simply automate transactions. Instead, they will be the ones that help consumers make better decisions by delivering transparency, context, and value.

AI may be becoming the new search bar, but when it comes to finding the best deal, consumers still want more than a recommendation. They want confidence that they're getting real value, and that remains a distinctly human expectation.

Disclosure: The consumer sentiment study referenced above was conducted by my company, Prosper Insights & Analytics. This is the same dataset used by the National Retail Federation, and available from Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg, and the London Stock Exchange Group for economic benchmarking.