AI Shopping Assistants Found to Conceal 'Made in USA' Claims

A new report from Columbia Law School's Center for Law and the Economy is raising questions about how artificial intelligence shopping assistants handle 'Made in USA' product claims.

The report, titled 'Made in America, Hidden by AI,' examined Amazon's Alexa for Shopping and Walmart's Sparky AI assistant. Researchers found that these tools could identify discrepancies between some products marketed as 'Made in USA' and country-of-origin information listed elsewhere on the product pages.

Despite this, the AI assistants continued to recommend or display those products. The researchers also discovered that Amazon's AI assistant would provide recommendations for products made in other countries but initially declined similar requests for products made in the United States, even when search prompts were modified.

Amazon disputed the report's conclusions, stating that it strives to provide customers with detailed information about products, including their country of origin. The company emphasized that it requires sellers to provide accurate product information and comply with applicable laws and company policies.