Robert Peston

Here with more is Lillian Rincon, Google VP of Consumer Shopping Product.

This is interesting because we're going from the domain of agentic AI and we're trying to take it to how consumers already use search, marry them in the context of retail.

How does it work and why is it important?

Yeah, so agentic tech is, you know, relatively new and we're really focusing on bringing agentic AI for consumer problems that really matter to consumers.

And so, for example, taking the tedious parts of shopping and having agentic AI, which is AI that does things on behalf of the user.

So, for example, with price tracking, you know, we have the scenario of you see a product, maybe the price is too high.

You can track the price and we will auto buy the product for you.

On the other hand, for example, let's say you have a particular product.

Let's say Labubu is one of the products of the season and you want to find it near you.

Do you have any evidence or data that this technology change results in an actual purchase or increases the likelihood that the consumer goes through with it?

I mean, anecdotally, we do see that consumers are really loving this in the sense that both consumers and merchants, actually, especially for the agentic calling, because it's allowing consumers to have more confidence, let's say, that the product is actually in store.

There are some that perhaps don't want others' agents coming and making purchases.

They want that direct relationship.

We've seen reports of Amazon doing a cease and desist on perplexity because of payments being made.

How do you think you'll navigate the ecosystem in that way, Lillian?

Yeah, it's a great question.

You know, I think all of this agentic technology is very nascent.

And again, at Google, we're really starting with what are those real problems that consumers have and always giving consumers control of the experience.

Which is that a lot of times people will see a product, maybe it's too expensive.

We let you track the price of the product.