Here’s what shoppers think of AI chatbots

A new survey sheds light on consumer opinions regarding artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot technology.

According to the survey of more than 1,000 U.S. shoppers from software engineering and digital consultancy company Intellias, AI chatbots are the most likely cause of friction when buying online, with 19% agreeing chatbots are the area where AI most disrupts their shopping experiences. 

While 44% of respondents said AI has helped retailers and brands create more personalized shopping experiences, a further 20% said that interactions with AI chatbots were the stage in their online buying journeys where they were most likely to abandon a purchase. 

Almost half (46%) of respondents said they didn’t mind retailers using AI in their buying journeys if it wasn’t clunky. In comparison, two-thirds (66%) are open to retailers using AI to automate repetitive or monotonous tasks, but they don’t want it to replace human interaction. 

Seven-in-ten (71%) respondents agreed that a blended experience of both automation delivered through AI and human interaction would always be needed in retail, regardless of how good AI technology becomes in the future.

According to a November 2023 survey from Talkdesk, 88% of respondents planned to use some form of AI to help with their holiday shopping, including in the form of chatbots, synthetic media and personalized brand recommendations. Nearly three-fourths (73%) planned to use an AI chatbot (such as ChatGPT) to find coupons, discount codes and cheaper prices.

"There’s little doubt that AI, and in particular generative AI, has had its watershed moment, as the intersection between rapid consumer and business adoption really came to the fore last year," said Alexander Goncharuk, VP of global retail at Intellias. "While there’s no denying the hype curve, AI mustn’t become a go-to catchall for plugging gaps in shopping experiences.

"Each application of the technology needs to be considered in the context of the entire value chain and only deployed where it can deliver value in a friction-free manner," said Goncharuk.

The survey is based on original research of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers conducted by Savanta on behalf of Intellias.