Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- US Senator Elizabeth Warren is questioning Google about its Gemini-powered checkout feature.
- The senator is concerned that the integration could lead to the exploitation of user data or to manipulating users into paying higher prices.
- Warren is also concerned that Google could prioritize shopping results from retail partners over competitors.
In mid-January, Google announced it collaborated with companies like Shopify, Walmart, Target, Etsy, and Wayfair to create a protocol called the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). This protocol would make it easier for AI agents to communicate with retailers for purchases. Along with this protocol, Google also revealed that it would integrate a checkout feature into Gemini, allowing you to make online purchases with the AI. This move has now attracted the attention of one US senator, and for good reason.
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According to The Verge, US Senator Elizabeth Warren recently sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai. In the letter, Warren questions Gemini’s upcoming checkout feature. The senator shares concerns that the tech giant and retailers could “exploit sensitive user data” or “manipulate consumers into spending more and paying higher prices.”
Warren is specifically looking for answers on how much user information is being gathered, what kinds of information will be sent over to retailers, how will user data affect pricing, and will Google use the tool to prioritize purchases from retail partners over competitors. She also questions whether Google will explain to users that Gemini’s suggestions are “based on upselling objectives, advertising incentives, or sensitive user data.”
Warren writes:
Google already possesses unprecedented troves of user search and AI chat data, and such intimate data could be merged with both user data from other Google services and third-party retailer data to drive consumer behavior in an exploitative manner.
To support her concerns, the senator mentions a recent X (formerly Twitter) post from Google. Warren points out that Google already admitted that it will use “sensitive data to help retailers upsell consumers into buying a more ‘premium’ product.” In the aforementioned social post, Google says that retailers will be able to “show additional premium product options that people might be interested in.”
It appears Google will have until February 17 to send a response. That’s slightly less than two weeks from now.
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