AI "agents" can do your shopping. Should you let them?

MoneyWatch AI "agents" can do your shopping. Should you let them? .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Megan Cerullo Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting. Read Full Bio Megan Cerullo April 17, 2026 / 5:00 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Artificial intelligence "agents" promise to do everything from tidying up your email like Marie Kondo declutters a closet, to buying you a pair of heels based on your budget and style preferences.Yet technology experts warn that outsourcing key decisions to AI exposes consumers to risks, potentially leading to communications errors and costing people money, while also potentially handing hackers the keys to their data. This is particularly true when it comes to so-called agentic commerce, or relying on AI agents to make purchases for you. "It isn't mainstream yet and it's pretty risky right now, because there aren't enough guardrails in the system for people to feel comfortable with agents autonomously buying things for them," Matt Kropp, an AI expert with Boston Consulting Group, told CBS News. "It could potentially go buy a car, but I wouldn't say, 'Here's my credit card.'"  Brave new worldSuch concerns aren't keeping some of America's biggiest companies from charging ahead with AI commerce, which they see as a new way to engage customers and to drive more sales by letting AI do the legwork for shoppers.  For example, American Express this week announced new services and protections for cardholders who make purchases using specified AI agents. That includes verifying the identity of an agent when it makes a purchase, according to the credit card issuer. The service "will protect eligible customers from charges related to AI ag...