Online shopping may soon undergo a radical transformation. AI-powered shopping agents could change the online economy and lessen the significance of online advertising, claims a16z crypto.
People have been finding things through advertisements on websites for a long time. Since the late 1990s, the internet has been powered by this model. However, experts increasingly think AI might take over the purchasing process.
AI agents are capable of searching, comparing, and even purchasing goods on behalf of users. Unlike humans, they do not get distracted by advertisements. This implies that the conventional ad-based paradigm may gradually become less significant.
With a projected value of $291 billion in 2025, the online advertising business is enormous. This market is dominated by businesses like Google. But this system may be challenged by the development of AI.
Initial signs of this change are already apparent. Users may now purchase goods immediately within a conversation on platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini, eliminating the need to visit other websites.
These systems are still constrained, though. Only selected sellers are allowed, making them closed ecosystems. The actual future, according to experts, is in open platforms that allow AI bots to freely browse and select from all online options.
To support this approach, new technologies are being created, such as the Machine Payments Protocol and Coinbase’s x402 protocol. These might enable autonomous payment processing by AI agents.
The internet might shift away from advertisements and toward efficiency and user ease if this vision comes to pass.
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