Google’s AI is about to do your holiday shopping for you

According to The Verge, Google is launching a suite of AI shopping features in the US starting Thursday, just ahead of the holiday season. The tools include conversational shopping in Search’s AI Mode that pulls from 50 billion product listings, a “Let Google Call” feature where AI agents contact local stores about inventory and promotions, and automated purchasing that uses Google Pay to buy items when prices drop below preset thresholds. The calling feature will initially roll out for toys, health and beauty, and electronics categories, while automated checkout will begin with merchants including Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and some Shopify sellers. Users will receive text or email updates after AI calls to stores, and the shopping features will also be available in the Gemini app.

The AI shopping revolution is here

This isn’t just another incremental update – it’s Google trying to own the entire shopping journey from discovery to purchase. The conversational shopping feature is particularly interesting because it eliminates the need for multiple searches and filter clicking. You can basically have a conversation with Google about what you want, and it pulls from that massive database of 50 billion products to give you tailored results.

But here’s the thing that really stands out: the AI calling feature. Google’s agents will actually phone local stores to ask about stock, products, and sales. They’ll disclose they’re AI callers, and merchants can opt out if they don’t want robot calls. After the call, you get a summary. It’s like having a personal assistant, but one that works for Google rather than you.

The automated purchasing gamble

The automated checkout feature is where things get really futuristic. You set your price threshold, and when an item drops below that, Google’s AI will ping you for confirmation and then complete the purchase using Google Pay. It’s essentially automated deal-hunting, which could be amazing for bargain hunters but also potentially dangerous for impulse buyers.

Think about the implications here. Normally, price tracking services just alert you – you still have to manually complete the purchase. This removes that final friction point entirely. But it also means Google becomes both the discovery platform and the transaction processor, cutting out other players in the shopping ecosystem.

What this means for creators and competitors

Google’s demonstration of searching for moisturizers for dry winter skin really highlights the competitive threat to platforms like TikTok. Research shows that a majority of US TikTok users are there specifically for reviews and recommendations. Now Google’s AI can pull content from those platforms and serve it directly in shopping results.

So where does that leave influencers and product review sites? They’re essentially becoming content providers for Google’s shopping AI. The entire discovery-to-purchase journey that might have spanned multiple apps and websites could now happen entirely within Google’s ecosystem. Will shoppers completely abandon their favorite creators? Probably not immediately. But the convenience factor is undeniable.

The privacy and control questions

There are some obvious concerns here. Having AI make phone calls on your behalf means sharing your shopping intentions with Google in unprecedented detail. The automated purchasing feature requires trusting Google’s judgment about when to pull the trigger on buying decisions. And merchants might not appreciate being flooded with AI calls during busy holiday seasons.

Google says these features give shoppers more control, especially around pricing. But they also represent a massive consolidation of power in the shopping landscape. When one company controls discovery, comparison, price tracking, and now even the actual purchasing, that’s a pretty significant shift in how retail works. The holiday shopping season is about to become a real-world test of whether consumers are ready to hand over their shopping lists to AI.