Google's AI Shopping Sparks 'Surveillance Pricing' Fears, Company Denies Claims

• Google's Universal Commerce Protocol for AI shopping agents faces backlash over potential 'surveillance pricing'.
• Groundwork Collaborative's Lindsay Owens accused Google of planning to use personal data for 'personalized upselling' and manipulating shopping outcomes.
• Owens cited Google's roadmap and technical documentation referencing 'upselling' and adjusting pricing through discounts/loyalty offers.
• Google denied the claims, stating they prohibit merchants from showing higher prices on Google than on their sites and 'upselling' is about premium options.
• Consumer advocates warn AI shopping agents could eventually tailor prices based on user data, leading to 'surveillance pricing' if unchecked.

Why It Matters: Google's new AI shopping protocol faces criticism over 'surveillance pricing' fears, which the company refutes.