Nearly three in four consumers worldwide trust personal artificial intelligence (AI) agents to make purchases on their behalf, according to a report by global professional services company Accenture.

Based on Accenture’s 2026 Consumer Pulse Survey, around 74 percent of consumers would rather let an AI agent decide on and purchase a product under their instruction than trust the opinion of their best friend.

These AI agents are software tools designed to act on a consumer’s behalf within set permissions, handling tasks like shopping or managing subscriptions. Popular examples include general-purpose assistants like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot.

Accenture noted that the rise of these tools is a direct response to shoppers feeling overwhelmed by too many choices, too little time, and too much information amid the vast array of online shopping options. While consumers still hold on to decisions that carry personal meaning, they are increasingly eager to hand over the parts of the buying process that feel like chore work.

Specifically, 56 percent of consumers say they would instruct their AI agent on which brands to consider, while 37 percent would allow their agent to switch brands entirely for a better alternative.

Within the Asia-Pacific region, Accenture said consumers are more than ready to let AI agents do their shopping. In particular, eight out of 10 consumers in the region rely on AI for 50 percent of their spending decisions, according to the survey.

Accenture stressed that brands are feeling the impact of the growing adoption of AI agents through “abandoned carts, high return rates, eroding margins, and continued spending to re-acquire the same customers.”

Accenture senior managing director Vivek Luthra said this presents an opportunity for businesses to create new customer value by delivering more intelligent experiences throughout the customer journey.

However, he said capitalizing on this opportunity “requires far more than reimagining consumer touchpoints.”

“Organizations will need to undertake an enterprise-wide reinvention bringing together marketing, sales, service, operations and technology teams, while investing in the capabilities, governance and operating models needed to scale AI-driven experiences and translate innovation into sustainable growth,” Luthra said.

In the short term, Accenture said smaller businesses must focus on integrating so-called horizontal agents, or general-purpose AI assistants that help consumers discover, compare, and buy products across different categories.

“Organizations can do this by ensuring product data is machine-readable, claims are verifiable, pricing is transparent, and customer experiences can be trusted by AI systems,” it said.

Accenture said larger brands can capitalize on this growth opportunity by building specialized vertical agents that consumers would trust for advice, recommendations, and transactions within a specific category.

“To become the ‘agent of choice,’ brands will need deep domain expertise, rich first-party customer data, industry-specific workflows, tailored recommendations, and integrated service and fulfilment capabilities,” the company said.