In chatbots On the third anniversary of ChatGPT's release, artificial intelligence was used. Online shopping using AI tools is becoming a new trend among consumers. During the recent Black Friday shopping festival, more and more consumers chose to use AI tools to search for products, compare prices, and get personalized recommendations.
Data from Adobe Analytics, a US data analytics firm, shows that US consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, November 28, a 9.1% year-over-year increase. Notably, AI-driven traffic to US retail websites surged by 805% year-over-year.
However, " AI shopping" also brings the risk of "digital fraud." According to Forbes, during the Black Friday shopping festival, cyberattacks against e-commerce platforms surged, putting millions of users at security risk, and AI tools are becoming an "effective tool" for cybercriminals.
On November 30, 2022, ChatGPT was launched as a "low-key research preview," sparking a global surge of interest in generative AI. "Today, it boasts 800 million weekly active users. While numbers are important, it's undeniable that ChatGPT's success is rapidly reshaping certain aspects of our society and economy. We now live in a world that ChatGPT has helped build." —The Atlantic The article "The World Still Doesn't Understand ChatGPT" published in the magazine on November 30th emphasizes the changes that artificial intelligence has brought to the world in the past three years, but also points out that it has created a "world that is always waiting for a crisis to come," plunging both supporters and pessimists into endless anxiety.
Artificial intelligence drives traffic to surge 9 times
A Reuters analysis points out that the widespread use of AI tools is related to the current predicament faced by American consumers. American consumers are facing a series of negative impacts, including government budget cuts, rising unemployment, and uncertainty stemming from tariffs. Consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest point in nearly seven months, making them more cautious about their spending than usual.
Suzy Davidkhanian, an analyst at market research firm eMarketer, points out: "Consumers are using new tools to find the products they need faster. Gift-giving can be stressful, and AI-powered large language models (LLMs) can make the product discovery process faster and more guided."
Software company Salesforce stated that its AI tools directly generated $14.2 billion in online sales globally during Black Friday, with the United States contributing $3 billion. Furthermore, U.S. consumers spent $18 billion online during Black Friday, an increase of approximately 3% year-over-year.
Adobe, a provider of marketing data analytics, also found in its survey that nearly half of U.S. shoppers have already used or plan to use artificial intelligence in the near future to assist them with online shopping. This surge in online spending may be setting the stage for a much larger "Cyber Monday" (Note: "Cyber Monday" refers to the Monday after Thanksgiving, a continuation of "Black Friday"), with Adobe projecting sales of $14.2 billion.
A report jointly released by McKinsey & Company and Fashion Business Review indicates that fashion industry executives see artificial intelligence and digital tools as the biggest opportunities facing the industry in 2026. The report points out that to ensure products can be recognized and favored by AI models, brands must rethink their marketing and e-commerce strategies, and that "semantically rich data and content accessible through application programming interfaces (APIs) are crucial for success."
"It also simplifies the work of fraudsters."
However, technological advancements also come with increased risks, and AI tools have exacerbated the cybersecurity challenges faced by consumers. risk.
Michael Reitblat, CEO of the US anti-fraud company Forter, said that in the past six months, consumers have been using AI tools to shop by 200%, while the number of criminals using AI to commit fraud has increased nearly tenfold.
“This has undoubtedly made my life easier… but at the same time, it has greatly simplified the work of scammers,” Reitblat said.
A recent study by Israeli cybersecurity firm Guardio states that Black Friday has become a hunting ground for cybercriminals equipped with artificial intelligence. Criminals are able to use AI tools to create "perfect grammar, professional design, and highly persuasive copy," rendering previous methods of identifying scams ineffective.
"The most common trap is the emergency account alert. You will receive a text message claiming that your Amazon account... " If your account is suspended due to suspicious activity, or your Verizon bill cannot be processed, you need to click the link to verify your information now.
Guardio's research also points out that consumers are most vulnerable to scams when they are "distracted and feel a sense of urgency." "Cybercriminals exploit this decision fatigue, meticulously planning and choosing moments when consumers are most likely to click on links without thinking before launching their scams."
Reitblat stated that e-commerce businesses need to "use artificial intelligence to fight artificial intelligence." "You need to make sure you're using better data than scammers have, and you need to seriously consider: how do you verify a consumer's identity?"
"This year we will definitely see increasingly sophisticated fraud methods, and artificial intelligence is the main driving force behind these methods." "Anne Cutler, Vice President of Global Communications at the US cybersecurity company Keeper Security, pointed out."
(Source: The Paper)
