You’re going to hate shopping in an AI economy

AI shopping and customer service agents could make consumer frustrations worse before they improve them, according to Charlie Warzel, a staff writer at The Atlantic. He says these tireless automated systems are already sending large volumes of requests to call centres, restaurants and small businesses, burdening people who do not have agents working for them.

Warzel argues that widespread use could unsettle an economy that depends partly on consumers overlooking dormant subscriptions or not constantly seeking better deals. If people use agents to monitor and act on their banking and shopping while large companies deploy their own agents, the result could be a surge of automated activity and disruption. The article cites a 2025 survey in which nearly 80 per cent of Americans reported a product or service problem, and nearly two-thirds said attempts to resolve it made them feel “rage”.