Amazon and Walmart Face FTC Probe Over AI Shopping Assistants

Amazon and Walmart are facing a bipartisan request from US senators for federal scrutiny of their AI shopping assistants. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Rick Scott have asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate whether Amazon's Alexa for Shopping and Walmart's Sparky suppress information about products made in the United States.

The senators' letter cites research suggesting that the assistants can identify country-of-origin information and suspicious claims, yet do not consistently make this information available to shoppers. This issue predates the current AI dispute, as the FTC sent letters to both retailers in July 2025 identifying third-party sellers whose U.S.-origin claims appeared potentially deceptive.

Amazon has responded that it does not intentionally withhold country-of-origin information, stating that Alexa for Shopping is still improving and currently directs customers asking about origin to product detail pages to prioritize accuracy. The FTC declined to comment, and Walmart had not immediately responded when the report was updated on September 17.