INSTANT AI UPDATE 48 - BLACK FRIDAY, THE DAY AGENTIC COMMERCE TOOK OVER

INSTANT AI UPDATE 48 - BLACK FRIDAY, THE DAY AGENTIC COMMERCE TOOK OVER - The 2025 Black Friday shopping event reflect a seismic shift: artificial intelligence (AI) agents, not humans, now drive a significant portion of online shopping activity. 

Black Friday 2025 shattered previous records, with U.S. online sales reaching $11.8 billion—a 9.1% year-over-year increase. What’s more significant than the raw numbers is the nature of this growth: an 805% surge in AI-directed traffic, as AI-powered deal agents like Walmart’s Sparky and Amazon’s Rufus took center stage. Instead of manually searching for deals, consumers increasingly relied on large language models (LLMs) and autonomous AI agents to handle product discovery, comparison, and even checkout.

This shift represents more than just automation; it signals the emergence of “agentic commerce,” where AI agents act autonomously on behalf of consumers, transforming the entire value chain of digital retail.

Pros:

1: Efficiency and Convenience

AI agents drastically reduce the cognitive load on consumers. Instead of sifting through endless product listings, shoppers can express their intent in natural language, and AI agents autonomously handle research, comparison, negotiation, and purchase (TechAvidus, 2025)

2: Hyper-Personalization

Agentic commerce leverages predictive intelligence to deliver real-time, hyper-personalized experiences.

3: Operational Efficiency for Retailers

For businesses, agentic commerce automates repetitive tasks such as inventory management, order processing, and customer engagement. AI-driven decision-making optimizes merchandising, demand forecasting, and logistics, unlocking new levels of efficiency and scalability.

4: Enhanced Accessibility

AI agents democratize shopping by making it easier for people of varying digital literacy levels to access deals and complete purchases.

5: Data-Driven Insights

AI agents generate vast amounts of data, enabling continuous improvement in personalization, fraud detection, and customer service.

Cons:

1: Increased Fraud and Security Threats

The same tools that empower consumers also equip fraudsters

2: Erosion of Consumer Trust

As AI agents take over more of the shopping journey, concerns about transparency, data privacy, and algorithmic bias rise.

3: Job Displacement

MIT’s “Iceberg Index” reveals that AI can now perform $1.2 trillion worth of human work, affecting 11.7% of the U.S. labor market.

4: Environmental Impact

The computational power required to train and deploy large AI models is immense, leading to increased electricity consumption, carbon emissions, and pressure on energy infrastructure.

5: Market Concentration and Platform Control

As AI agents become the gatekeepers of commerce, power consolidates in the hands of a few tech giants and platform providers.

Based on the evidence, I believe the rise of AI-directed and agentic commerce is both inevitable and transformative, but not without significant risks that demand urgent attention.

Why This Is Inevitable

The sheer scale of efficiency, personalization, and operational gains offered by AI agents is too compelling for both consumers and businesses to ignore. The 805% jump in AI-directed traffic during Black Friday 2025 is not a blip but a harbinger of a new era (AI Secret, 2025). As AI models become more capable and user-friendly, adoption will only accelerate.

The Risks Are Real and Growing

However, the risks—particularly in fraud, job displacement, and environmental impact—are substantial. The tenfold increase in AI-driven fraud attempts is a wake-up call for the industry (CNBC, 2025). The displacement of white-collar workers, as revealed by MIT’s Iceberg Index, challenges the narrative that only manual labor is at risk (AI Secret, 2025). Moreover, the environmental footprint of generative AI cannot be ignored (MIT News, 2025).

A Call for Responsible Innovation

To harness the benefits while mitigating the downsides, stakeholders must prioritize responsible innovation. This includes:

1. Investing in AI-driven fraud prevention (“use AI to fight AI”)

2. Ensuring transparency and explainability in agentic systems

3. Developing regulatory frameworks for data privacy and ethical AI

4. Addressing workforce transitions with upskilling and social safety nets

5. Pursuing sustainable AI development to reduce environmental impact

The Bottom Line

Agentic commerce is not just a technological upgrade; it is a structural shift in how businesses and consumers interact. Those who adapt early by embracing AI while proactively managing its risks will gain a decisive competitive advantage. However, unchecked, this revolution could exacerbate inequality, erode trust, and strain societal and environmental systems.

Conclusion

The 2025 Black Friday event confirmed that AI has moved from the back office to the front lines of commerce. Agentic commerce is reshaping the retail landscape, offering unprecedented efficiency and personalization but also introducing new risks and ethical dilemmas. The future will be defined by how well businesses, regulators, and society balance innovation with responsibility. The winners will be those who not only leverage AI’s capabilities but also earn and maintain consumer trust in an increasingly automated world.