Shopping with AI assistants: what to check before you say "buy"

The short version

• Ask the AI to read back the item, size and total.
• Check who sells it and whether you can return it.
• Never pay with gift cards because an AI or a message told you to.
• Check Your Orders after every purchase.

AI assistants that can shop

• Alexa for Shopping (Amazon): the assistant in the Amazon app and website. It was called Rufus until May 2026. You can ask questions, compare products and hear past prices. It can also buy an item for you when it drops to a price you set. Source: Amazon: Rufus is now Alexa for Shopping.
• Alexa on Echo devices: you can order by voice. A voice code stops orders you did not mean to make.
• Google AI Mode and Gemini: for some stores in the US, Google can check out for you with Google Pay. It buys only if the final price is the same as or lower than the price you agreed to. Source: Google Pay help: Agentic checkout.
• ChatGPT: it can search and compare products. In most cases, you finish the purchase on the store's own website.
• AI in screen readers and apps: for example, the AI features in JAWS can help you use a store's website. Apps such as Be My Eyes and Seeing AI can tell you what was delivered.

These features change often. If a menu name here does not match what you hear, ask the assistant itself what it can do.

What AI gets wrong

• The wrong item: a similar name, a different model, or only an accessory.
• The wrong size, color or number of items.
• An old price, or a total without shipping and tax.
• A seller with poor feedback, or an item you cannot return.

An AI can sound sure even when it is wrong. A clear voice is not proof.

Before you say "buy": a checklist

Ask these questions. Wait for a clear answer to each one.

1. "Read me the full product name and model."
2. "What size, color and how many?"
3. "What is the total with shipping and tax?"
4. "Who sells it, and can I return it?"
5. "When will it arrive, and to which address?"

If an answer is unclear, open the product page and check it yourself. How to find the seller on Amazon.

Settings that prevent mistakes

• Alexa voice code: in the Alexa app, turn on a 4-digit code for purchases. Source: Amazon help: Require a voice code. More in avoiding accidental purchases.
• Price limits: when you ask an AI to buy later, give it a top price, for example "only if it is under $40".
• One card, one address: keep one default card and one default address. The AI is less likely to pick the wrong one.
• Ask first: tell the assistant, "Always ask me before you place an order."

Payment and safety

• An AI assistant never needs your password or a one-time code. Do not read them out to anyone.
• Credit cards usually give stronger fraud protection than debit cards. If you use a debit card, check your account often.
• Fake "AI shopping" apps, websites and messages exist. Use the store's own app, or the assistant you set up yourself.
• Amazon never asks you to pay with gift cards. Source: Amazon help: Identifying a scam.

After the order

• Open Your Orders. Check the item, size, total and delivery date.
• Something wrong? Cancel it before it ships. If it already shipped, return it. See cancelling an order and returns and refunds.
• When it arrives, check what came. See delivery problems.

When to shop without AI

• Expensive items.
• Medical items, or anything that must fit, such as shoes or replacement parts.
• When the AI cannot tell you the seller or the total.

Our Search Amazon and Compare prices pages are made for screen readers. They read the important facts first.