In recent months, Google has promised to incorporate generative AI into the online shopping experience, and now it is following through. The previously announced shopping features of AI Mode Search are debuting, and Gemini will also make its way into Google’s forgotten duplex automated phone call technology. Allegedly designed to make your gift giving more convenient and also conveniently ensure that Google gets a piece of the action, it’s all coming just in time for the holidays.
At Google I/O in May, the company announced its intention to bring conversational shopping into AI mode. According to Google, its vast “shopping graph” or retailer data means its AI is uniquely positioned to make useful suggestions. In the coming weeks, users in the US will be able to ask the AI mode complex questions about what to buy, and it will provide suggestions, guides, tables and other generated content to help you decide. And since this is General AI, it comes with the usual disclaimers about potential mistakes.
AI Mode Shopping Features.
You’re probably wondering if these experiences will have sponsored shopping content, and it’s a big yes. Google says some of the content visible in AI mode will be ads, such as if you see shopping results in a traditional search. Shopping features are also coming to the Gemini app, but Google says that currently its results will not contain sponsored content.
Google is also releasing a feature called “Agent Checkout”, a term only used when the company announces the feature with AI mode shopping at I/O. However, Google is now actually leaning towards an agentic approach. The gist is that you can set a price range for a product in search, and Google will let you know if the item reaches that price. That part isn’t new, but now it has an AI twist. After you receive the alert, you can authorize automated purchases with Google Pay. However, it is currently only supported at a handful of retailers like Chewy, Wayfair, and some Shopify merchants. It’s not clear whether this qualifies as an agent or not, but it may save you some money.