Survey: Consumers would let AI agents spend for them in these categories...
Consumers are warming up to the idea of letting artificial intelligence-powered shopping agents make larger transactions for them.
New research from payment technology and software company Global Payments Inc. found that one year ago, consumers expected AI agents to make 9% of their purchases within five years. Today, that figure has climbed to 15%.
Nearly half (45%) Americans have already used, or would consider using, an AI shopping agent, while nearly seven-in-10 (69%) use AI to help find better deals when shopping, while 63% rely on it to save time.
In the span of one year, shoppers are more than twice as likely as they were last year to say they are comfortable using AI to spend up to $50. This includes movie tickets (increased from 32% to 82%), meal delivery or pickup (increased from 30% to 78%), meal vouchers and gift cards (increased from 28% to 77%) and subscriptions and memberships (increased from 27% to 69%).
[READ MORE: Survey: Nearly two-thirds of global consumers have used an AI shopping tool]
For retail purchases, a large majority of consumers are comfortable with AI agents transacting on their behalf, although there are some clear spending limits, according to the survey. Nearly seven-in-10 (69%) consumers would let an AI agent spend up to $100 on groceries and everyday essentials, while the same amount would permit spending up to $100 on clothing and footwear.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those surveyed would allow spending up to $100 on luxury clothing and footwear, and 58% would cap spending on electronics and gadgets at $100.
"Just a year ago, the idea of letting AI actually buy something for you still felt futuristic," said Cindy Turner, chief product officer at Global Payments. "Today, consumers are increasingly willing to hand over everyday purchases if it saves time, finds better value and keeps them in control. That creates an opportunity for merchants, which is why Global Payments is focused on ensuring merchants can support these transactions safely and at scale across a rapidly evolving ecosystem."
Despite the increasing willingness to shop with AI, half (50%) of Americans remain concerned about the security of their payment details, while 46% cite concerns about privacy and personal data use. Forty-two percent worry that AI could make the wrong purchasing decisions on their behalf.
One-third (33%) said they would want to approve every transaction before a payment is made, while 28% want access to human support when issues arise. A quarter (26%) said they want proof that AI systems cannot be hacked or manipulated.
Global Payments’ report features two waves of consumer research conducted by The Lantern, a specialist market research agency, in partnership with Global Payments. The first survey was conducted in August-September 2025 and included 8,000 consumers across the U.S., U.K., France, Brazil, China, Singapore and Australia. The second survey was conducted in May 2026 and included 8,027 consumers across the same markets.
