AI Shopping and Privacy: What You Need to Know to Shop Safely

AI Shopping and Privacy: What You Need to Know to Shop Safely

Online shopping has become increasingly intertwined with artificial intelligence. From product recommendations and chatbots to virtual try-ons and price tracking, AI tools promise speed and convenience. But a recent survey from eMarketer confirms what many shoppers already feel: data privacy is their biggest fear when using these features—by a wide margin. If you’re concerned about your personal information while taking advantage of AI shopping aids, you’re not alone. The good news is that you can take practical steps to protect yourself without giving up the conveniences you value.

What the Survey Reveals

According to the eMarketer study published in May 2026, consumers ranked data privacy as the top worry related to AI in shopping, far ahead of other concerns like accuracy or cost. While exact percentages from the survey haven’t been publicly detailed in all reports, the finding underscores a widespread unease: shoppers don’t trust how their data is being collected, stored, and used by AI-powered retail tools. This distrust makes sense, given the constant flow of headlines about data breaches, hidden tracking, and unclear privacy policies.

Why It Matters for Everyday Shoppers

AI shopping tools work by gathering data. A chatbot might record your conversation to improve its responses. Personalized recommendations are built from your browsing history, past purchases, and even items you’ve only lingered on. Virtual try-ons can capture detailed information about your face, body shape, or skin tone. That data is valuable—not just to the retailer, but often to third-party advertisers, analytics companies, and data brokers.

The problem isn’t that these tools exist; it’s that many shoppers don’t realize how much information they’re sharing or where it ends up. Unlike a simple purchase transaction, AI tools often keep collecting data long after you’ve left the website. And when it comes to biometric data (like facial scans), the risks are especially high because that information is nearly impossible to change if it’s compromised.

Five Practical Steps to Protect Your Privacy

You don’t have to avoid AI tools entirely. Instead, you can reduce your exposure with a few straightforward habits.

1. Use guest checkout whenever possible.
When you create an account, you give the retailer permanent access to your purchase history, preferences, and contact details. Guest checkout limits what they can tie to you. If you do need an account, use a unique password and a secondary email address.

2. Review and adjust privacy settings. Most retailers let you control how your data is used. Look for sections labeled “privacy settings,” “data preferences,” or “ad personalization.” Turn off tracking for ads, disable the sharing of your data with third parties, and opt out of data collection for AI training where possible. These settings are often buried, but they are worth finding.

3. Decline personalized recommendations when you can. Some shopping sites let you switch to generic recommendations. While you may still see product suggestions, they won’t be based on your specific behavior. This reduces the amount of profiling happening behind the scenes.

4. Be cautious with virtual try-ons, especially those using live video or photos. Before using an AR tool that maps your face or body, check the privacy policy to see how the images are used. Does the retailer store them? Do they share them with third parties? If the answers are unclear or unsettling, skip the feature. A static image that you upload may be safer than a live camera feed, but both carry risks.

5. Use browser extensions or tools that block trackers.
Privacy-focused extensions like Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin, or Ghostery can limit the scripts that websites use to follow your activity. They don’t block all AI tracking, but they reduce the overall footprint you leave as you shop.

When to Say No

Some AI features are simply not worth the privacy trade-off. Voice assistants that listen for shopping commands, chatbots that require you to log in, and tools that ask for continuous location access should be treated with extra caution. If a feature feels intrusive or its data practices are unclear, it’s fair to skip it. The same goes for any AI that asks for access to your contacts, camera, or microphone without a clear, one-time need.

The Bottom Line

AI shopping tools aren’t going away, and they can be genuinely helpful. But they work best when you understand what they’re doing with your information. By adjusting a few settings, using guest checkout, and knowing which features to avoid, you can keep the convenience while limiting the data exposure. The fear around AI shopping privacy is real, but it doesn’t have to stop you from shopping smartly.

Sources:

• eMarketer survey (May 2026) on consumer concerns about AI in retail.
• Industry reporting on AI shopping tools and data collection practices.