UK consumers wary of AI shopping agents & payments

ACI Worldwide has published UK survey findings showing low consumer trust in AI shopping agents and AI-powered payments. The research is based on responses from more than 2,000 UK adults collected by YouGov.

The survey found that 60% of consumers would stop using an AI shopping agent after a single mistake, highlighting how little tolerance users have for errors in purchasing decisions. It also found that 69% do not trust AI even when it follows rules they have set. Only 19% trust AI assistants to make everyday purchasing decisions, compared with 55% who trust a human expert or adviser.

AI shopping agents are tools that can search for products, compare options and complete purchases with a consumer's permission. The findings suggest many UK consumers are willing to accept AI as a support tool, but draw a clear line at letting it make decisions or handle money without close oversight.

Half of those surveyed said they trust AI to find the best available price, and 43% said they trust it to follow spending limits. Trust fell sharply on more sensitive tasks: only 18% said they trust AI to act in their financial best interests, 17% to keep personal and payment information secure, and 15% to deal with problems when something goes wrong.

The study also suggests lower prices alone may not be enough to change minds. Some 44% of respondents said they would not trust an AI shopping agent regardless of any savings, while one in four said it would need to save them more than 15% before they would trust it.

Control concerns

Resistance increased when the survey tested more autonomous uses of AI. Seven in ten respondents said purchases made without asking would affect their willingness to use an AI shopping agent. Another 61% said linking it to a bank account would have an impact, and 54% said tracking everything they browse online would do the same.

These findings point to a broader concern about losing control over spending and personal data. They also highlight the challenge facing merchants, payment providers and technology groups as they try to move AI tools from helping users discover products to taking a more direct role in checkout and payment.

Trust in institutions was also weak. Nearly six in ten respondents, or 59%, said they would not trust any organisation to manage AI-powered shopping and payments.

Banks were the most trusted option, but only 20% of consumers chose them. Technology companies and retailers each drew support from just 4% of respondents, suggesting that no part of the market starts from a position of strength when asking users to hand over purchasing authority to AI systems.

Who gets blamed

Consumers place responsibility for mistakes mainly on the companies behind the AI tools rather than on retailers or financial providers. A majority of respondents, 54%, said the technology or AI company that built the shopping agent should be accountable for refunds.

By contrast, only 9% said the retailer should be blamed, while 3% pointed to banks or card issuers. That matters because questions around refunds, liability and accountability remain unresolved in many AI-led commerce models.

Adriana Iordan, Head of Merchant and Payments Intelligence at ACI Worldwide, said the results show that control remains central to whether consumers will use such tools. "The findings clearly show that consumers are open to AI helping them shop smarter, but only if they remain firmly in control of both the decision-making and their money," she said.

She added that the industry will need to respond directly to those concerns if it wants wider use of AI in shopping and payments. "They're telling us very clearly that they won't hand control of their finances to an autonomous agent without safeguards. This isn't a capability gap; it's a trust and confidence gap. If the industry wants adoption, it must prioritise control over capability: explicit approvals, hard spending limits, protected payment details and clear accountability when things go wrong."

The figures add to wider questions about how consumers will react as AI tools move closer to financial transactions rather than simply offering recommendations. In this survey, the strongest support was reserved for narrow, clearly defined tasks such as finding the best price, while confidence fell once the same systems were asked to handle money, hold sensitive data or make independent choices.

That leaves banks, merchants and technology groups facing a difficult balance as they test more automated shopping journeys. For now, the clearest message from respondents is that convenience alone will not overcome caution, with 59% saying they would not trust any organisation to manage AI-powered shopping and payments.