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CNET's People's Picks survey found LG is the favorite TV brand among readers, winning categories for picture quality, fast-moving content, and OLED/QD-OLED performance. Over 61% of LG TV owners rated their sets 'Excellent' for bright-room viewing, while 65% praised the dark-scene performance, with Sony as the runner-up for picture quality.
YouTube announced at its Made on YouTube event that Ask YouTube, its conversational AI search feature, will now help users make shopping decisions. Users searching for products can get organized comparisons of attributes and categories, and can ask follow-up questions directly on a video's watch page. YouTube said the feature, powered by a custom Gemini model, was used by over 140 million people in June, up more than 500% since December.
Meta launched an AI shopping agent called Muse designed to handle tasks like online purchases. When users tried to have Muse buy items on Amazon, they received an error message stating that access by an unauthorized AI agent violates Amazon's Conditions of Use.
A banking industry group representing major U.S. banks released a report expressing concern about agentic commerce, where AI agents make purchases on behalf of consumers. The report warns that this emerging shopping method could lead to increased scams, fraud, and payment disputes.
A new report finds that the growing volume of AI-generated content online is eroding consumer trust, weakening the influence that social media personalities have historically had over purchasing decisions. Shoppers who once relied on influencer recommendations for items like clothing and home appliances are said to be growing more skeptical of what they see online.
Ron Johnson, who built Apple's retail store network starting in 2000, says he doesn't believe AI shopping agents will fundamentally change how people buy products. He argues that for significant purchases like laptops, consumers still want to physically handle items rather than let an AI complete the transaction, even as companies like Google and OpenAI push tools that let agents research, compare, and buy on a shopper's behalf.
Amazon has cut off access for Meta's newly launched Muse AI shopping agent, showing users a pop-up citing violations of its Conditions of Use. Muse, introduced on Sept. 8, was designed to handle tasks like online purchases, but Amazon says unauthorized third-party agents must operate transparently and respect merchants' choice to participate.
Amazon began showing an error message to Meta's AI assistant Muse over the weekend, stating that unauthorized AI agents violate its Conditions of Use. As a result, Muse can no longer complete purchases on Amazon, forcing users to shop elsewhere.
Amazon has cut off access to Meta's newly launched Muse AI agent, which can autonomously shop, fill forms, and make purchases using virtual Stripe cards. Users attempting to shop on Amazon via Muse now see a message saying unauthorized AI agents violate the retailer's Conditions of Use. Amazon says it first asked Meta to voluntarily keep Muse off its platform before implementing the block.
A group of U.S. senators has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether shopping bots and AI systems used by Walmart and Amazon are misrepresenting products as 'Made in America.' The request comes alongside other regulatory shifts, including a U.S. regulator giving tokenized stocks initial approval and credit card firms building AI agents to handle consumer purchases on shoppers' behalf.
Leaders from a major automaker and a large home-goods retailer discussed how they are deploying artificial intelligence to enhance customer interactions rather than replace human judgment. Both executives emphasized designing AI tools that support employees and shoppers, building on the industry's evolution from physical stores to online shopping to more advanced digital experiences.
Mastercard has launched a program that issues virtual payment cards specifically to AI agents so they can complete purchases on behalf of consumers. The initiative pushes 'agentic commerce'—where software autonomously browses, selects and buys items—further into the mainstream payments ecosystem.