The next online shopper won’t be human… it will be AI

7 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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In this commentary, Dan Novaes argues that AI agents are poised to transform online shopping by automating the entire purchase journey. He describes the current human-driven process—searching, comparing, reading reviews, and deciding—then envisions a future where a user simply asks an AI to find a product (e.g., running shoes under $100) and the AI handles searching, price comparison, review analysis, and even checkout. Novaes highlights the profound implications for e‑commerce: businesses will need to persuade algorithms rather than just human shoppers, and traditional advertising may lose influence as AI makes final recommendations. He frames this shift as a move from human‑centric store design to a machine‑centric marketplace where products are sold to AI assistants acting on behalf of people.

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Online shopping might be about to change completely. Right now, you search for a product, open different websites, read reviews, compare prices, then decide what to buy. AI agents could remove almost all of that. You could simply say, find me a good pair of running shoes under $100. Then the AI does the searching. It compares products, checks reviews, looks at prices, and eventually could even complete the purchase for you. That creates a huge change for online businesses because their next customer might not actually be a person. It might be someone's AI assistant. Companies may have to convince algorithms, not just humans, that their product is worth buying. And traditional advertising could become less powerful if AI makes the final recommendation. For decades, the companies designed stores around human shoppers. But if AI agents become common, the future of e-commerce could involve something completely different— businesses selling to machines that are shopping for people.