Summary

ABC reported that Wesfarmers, Bunnings, Woolworths and Coles are investing in AI agents that can help customers search, compare and navigate purchases. The systems remain assistive or in beta, and retailers still face high costs, integration limits and privacy concerns before autonomous shopping becomes routine.

Why it matters

Retail is a useful test of whether agentic AI can move from conversation to transactions without unacceptable error, surveillance or liability.

Sources