Consumers Reject AI Retail Bots Amid Trust Recession

A growing number of U.S. consumers are experiencing frustration and fatigue with artificial intelligence in retail, leading to a perceived trust recession. Data from Alter Agents, Gartner, and Liveops indicate that shoppers are becoming more risk-averse, with 62% of consumers viewing AI shopping recommendations as a waste of time. Only 11% of U.S. consumers are willing to let AI make purchase decisions on their behalf.

Retailers face a resolution gap where ineffective handoffs from bots to human agents force customers to restart inquiries, increasing irritation. Rebecca Brooks, CEO of Alter Agents, stated that AI-driven uncertainty is reshaping the relationship between consumers and brands. Similarly, Liveops President and COO Molly Moore argued that consumers are irritated by AI experiences that create more work for them.

Despite this friction, Coresight Research projects that autonomous AI experiences could mediate $943 billion in retail sales by 2030. Analysts suggest that brands must implement stronger governance, transparency, and human-centric design to combat the prevalence of low-quality synthetic content, often described as AI slop, and to rebuild consumer faith.