One of the many promises of artificial intelligence is that it will help us do everything better — work faster, research more seamlessly, and perhaps be more financially prudent. Well, not exactly. Research suggests that AI-assisted shopping may end up making you spend a lot more. AI shopping assistants can now suggest recipes, recommend products and even build an entire grocery cart from a simple request. Walmart’s Sparky, for example, can turn a “What’s for dinner?” prompt into meal ideas and add the ingredients to a shopper’s order. There's just one catch for those trying to save money: People using these AI tools appear to be buying more. Albertsons, Walmart and Instacart have all reported larger baskets or higher sales among shoppers using their AI-powered shopping assistants. This is supported by a new study from the University of London, which discovered that shoppers who used AI-powered shopping carts spent a whopping 32% more at the supermarket than those who stuck with an ordinary shopping cart. That increase in spending can't simply be attributed to men actually remembering to buy everything on the shopping list. The study resulted in people buying more items and lingering longer in the aisles — good for the stores, not so much for the shoppers.
