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Meta Tests AI Shopping Assistant Inside Meta AI Web Chatbot

The limited desktop trial signals a push into AI shopping with monetization and ad‑ranking policies still undisclosed.

Overview

  • Eligible U.S. users on desktop see a new “Shopping research” button in the Meta AI web chat interface.
  • Requests for product ideas return carousels showing images, prices, brand details, merchant links, and a short explanation for each pick.
  • Recommendations can personalize based on a user’s location and inferred gender, and checkout occurs on external retailer sites.
  • Meta confirmed the test but would not say whether recommendations generate referral commissions or prioritize advertisers from Facebook or Instagram.
  • Early hands-on reports noted accuracy and linking issues during testing, as Meta positions the feature against shopping assistants from ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Perplexity.