Google’s launch of its Universal Commerce Protocol for AI-powered shopping agents has sparked concern from consumer advocates. Lindsay Owens of the Groundwork Collaborative warned that integrating shopping into Google’s AI tools could enable “personalized upselling,” where user data from AI chats might be used to charge consumers more. Her concerns stemmed from Google documents referencing upselling features and pricing flexibility for merchants.

Google has firmly denied these claims. The company stated that merchants are prohibited from listing prices higher than those on their own websites and clarified that upselling simply means offering premium alternatives, not price manipulation. Google also said its “Direct Offers” program allows only discounts or added benefits, not higher prices, and confirmed its AI shopping agents cannot change prices based on individual user data.

Owens also raised concerns about consent language in Google’s technical documents, suggesting it downplayed user awareness. Google responded that the language refers to simplifying consent screens, not hiding permissions.

Despite Google’s rebuttals, the broader fear of “surveillance pricing” remains. Critics warn that AI shopping agents could eventually enable prices tailored to a consumer’s perceived willingness to pay, especially when built by ad-driven companies like Google. As AI commerce grows, independent startups are emerging with consumer-focused tools, but until clear safeguards exist, caution remains essential.