EU Draft Law Links AI Shopping Agents’ Autonomy to Commercial Incentives

The European Union is drafting a new law that could change how your customers use AI to shop and pay. The Digital Fairness Act focuses on 'AI shopping agents'—software that can automatically find products and complete purchases for consumers. If these AI tools are funded by commissions or hidden commercial incentives, the law may limit how much autonomy they have. This means an AI wouldn't be allowed to finalize a transaction without a human clicking 'buy' if that AI is biased toward certain lenders or retailers. For retailers offering financing or BNPL options, this is a major development. Many merchants hope AI will eventually handle the entire checkout process, including selecting the best financing offer. However, this draft law suggests that if your financing partner pays a commission to the AI platform, the AI may be legally barred from auto-selecting that payment method. Regulators want to ensure that AI assistants act in the consumer's best interest rather than steering them toward high-interest debt or specific lenders for a kickback. While this is currently an EU initiative, these standards often set the tone for global tech regulation. Merchants should prepare for a world where AI-driven commerce requires more transparency and explicit manual approval, especially when credit and financing are involved.

Source: PYMNTS

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