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ZDNET's key takeaways
AI agents can place orders for you and find deals, saving time.
But experts wonder whether the risks outweigh the benefits.
AI agents can also impact retailer traffic.
In late October, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, a web browser with ChatGPT at its core. In Agent Mode, it can perform actions on your behalf, such as pulling together an online order. Elyse Betters Picaro, Senior Contributing Editor at ZDNET, tried it that day, successfully using it to place a same-day delivery order from Walmart. The experience was so positive that she then used it to buy Disney on Ice Tickets, which she said saved her some money and hassle.
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"It found me a deal on front row seats for $50 each. But what was really cool is that it flagged that the original showtime I wanted was French only and suggested another time in English," said Betters Picaro. "I would've missed that if I bought them myself." She added that given her successful experiences, she may use it for the holiday shopping season.
Betters Picaro isn't alone: the Shopper Snapshot report from Mastercard found that 42% of shoppers are already using AI tools to assist with gift buying this holiday season, with a majority of Gen Z (61%) and millennials (57%) among them.
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