Americans reject AI shopping assistants despite tech push

Tech companies race to automate shopping

Google, Meta, and OpenAI have launched AI shopping tools this year. Adobe expects AI traffic to U.S. retail sites to jump one hundred thirty percent this holiday season.

Most Americans won't use AI to shop for gifts

Seventy-two percent of Americans say they don't plan to use AI tools for holiday shopping this year, up from forty-nine percent in two thousand twenty-five, according to a Bank of America survey.

Why shoppers reject AI for gift buying

Among those who won't use AI, forty-two percent cited personal or ethical reasons, thirty-seven percent said it removes the personal aspect of gift giving, and twenty-six percent don't trust AI recommendations.

Gift shopping is personal, not efficient

Lora Monfared, head of consumer credit card products at Bank of America, said some curiosity about AI may have worn off. Gift shopping is personal, and people want to feel good about what they're giving.

“Gift shopping is personal, and people want to feel good about what they're giving.”

The psychology of choosing gifts yourself

Colleen Kirk, a professor of marketing and management at New York Institute of Technology, says gift giving is personal. Browsing, comparing, and choosing create psychological ownership, making the gesture meaningful.

“Gift giving is a very personal act, and gifts, especially to close family and friends, are given from the heart.”

Where AI actually fits in shopping

Seventeen percent of Americans plan to use AI to compare prices, fourteen percent for gift ideas, and seven percent to write messages.

A compromise: AI for efficiency, humans for meaning

Kirk suggests consumers generate their own gift ideas first, then use AI to narrow options. Some may decide letting AI handle less personal tasks frees time for emotional connections with loved ones.

“Consumers might just decide that it is worth it to give up a little bit of ownership of the process in exchange for getting more time for those special emotional connections with the humans they love.”