Artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming online retail. AI chatbots that assist consumers with product and price comparisons could soon be followed by AI agents that shop independently and conclude, terminate or revoke contracts on behalf of consumers (‘agentic commerce’). According to forecasts, as many as one in seven online purchases could be made with the help of AI agents by 2030. Against this backdrop, the report examines the extent to which consumer protection measures need to be adapted to enable innovative business models to develop whilst ensuring adequate protection for consumers in agentic commerce. Based on an interdisciplinary analysis that combines economic, psychological, sociological and legal perspectives, specific recommendations are drawn up on how consumer policy can respond to this development. The aim of a forward-looking consumer policy should be to identify opportunities and risks at an early stage and to formulate consumer policy guidelines before the new technologies become widely established in the market.
