UAE consumers are warming up to artificial intelligence in their shopping lives, but trust still has its limits, according to Visa's 2025 Stay Secure study.
The annual report, conducted by Wakefield Research, found that 85 percent of UAE consumers have used AI tools to assist with shopping, with the most common uses being checking reviews and ratings, comparing prices, and finding gift ideas. A strong 93 percent believe new technologies are making online shopping faster and easier than before.
Despite this enthusiasm, confidence drops sharply when AI moves from advisor to executor. Only 32 percent of respondents said they would trust an AI agent to complete a checkout on their behalf, underlining how much work remains in building consumer confidence around agentic commerce.
Social commerce has taken firm root in the UAE, with 69 percent of consumers having made purchases directly through social media platforms. That growth, however, has come with a rising fraud risk. Forty-six percent of respondents reported experiencing a financial scam in the past 12 months, with 38 percent of those incidents occurring on social media.
Concern around children's vulnerability online is also mounting. Eighty percent of consumers said children in their lives struggle to recognise scams, and 67 percent reported witnessing a child fall victim to one while gaming or shopping online.
On the question of responsibility, consumers look outward. Thirty-six percent hold banks or financial institutions primarily accountable for fraud protection, with an equal share pointing to government authorities. Payment providers were cited by 34 percent, while only 19 percent placed the responsibility on consumers themselves.
Sixty percent said real-time alerts from their bank or payment app would make them feel more secure while shopping online.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
