Survey: Majority of consumers don't trust AI to make purchases for them
Consumers are comfortable using artificial intelligence-powered tools for product discovery, but making the purchase on their behalf is another story.
A new survey from e-commerce fraud and risk intelligence firm Riskified reveals that more than six-in-10 (61.5%) consumers have used AI tools for product discovery and recommendations. However, more than half (55%) are uncomfortable with AI agents making purchases on their behalf, while 46.5% do not trust any company to manage purchases for them.
Riskified found that more than half (53.9%) of respondents believe AI could increase the risk of online fraud, while nearly three-quarters (73.9%) expect strong safeguards, such as biometric verification or one-time passwords, for every transaction. In a separate survey from late 2025, payment security (32%) and privacy (26%) were top expectations among consumers for the technology.
When asked who should be responsible for unauthorized or erroneous AI-driven purchases, half (50.8%) of consumers pointed to the AI platform, compared to 23.2% who cited the retailer or brand. Just 18.7% who were willing to accept personal responsibility.
When asked about their preferred platform for agentic commerce, nearly a third (31.2%) of respondents chose general AI tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini, while 27.0% favor retailer websites or apps. A quarter (24.4%) said they had no preferred platform.
“Consumers are clearly embracing AI as a shopping assistant, but they’re drawing a firm line when it comes to autonomy and accountability,” said Jeff Otto, chief marketing officer at Riskified. “What we’re seeing is a widening gap between adoption and trust. Shoppers want the convenience and personalization AI can deliver, but they’re not yet willing to hand over control or responsibility. For merchants, that means going beyond enabling AI-driven experiences by building the infrastructure for transparency, security, and accountability that makes those experiences trustworthy.”
[READ MORE: Adobe: Many retailers unprepared for rapid AI search growth]
Riskified conducted an online survey sampling 2,000 consumers ages 18 to 64 across the United States and the United Kingdom, with 1,000 respondents from each market.
