AI Bots Boost Refunds and Disputes, Adyen Warns

TL;DR

An Adyen executive reports AI-powered shopping bots lead to higher refund requests and credit card disputes.
Shoppers using AI seek refunds at elevated rates, creating financial risks for companies.
Firms must resolve these risks before AI can handle purchases reliably.

The story at a glance

The Information interviews Carlo Bruno, vice president of product at payments firm Adyen, who says shoppers using AI tools are disputing charges and seeking refunds more often than usual. This raises financial risks in AI-powered shopping. The article appears now as agentic AI commerce gains traction with protocols from Visa, Google, and others.[[1]](https://www.theinformation.com/features/q-a)[[2]](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/ai-buying-bots-driving-refunds-risks-adyen-executive)

Key points

AI buying bots prompt shoppers to request refunds and file credit card charge disputes at higher rates than traditional shopping.[[1]](https://www.theinformation.com/features/q-a)
These elevated disputes highlight financial risks tied to AI handling purchases.
Companies need solutions for managing this risk before AI bots can take on online buying reliably, per Bruno.
Adyen processes payments for many large merchants and sees patterns in AI-driven transactions firsthand.

Details and context

AI shopping bots, or agentic AI, let users delegate purchases based on preferences, like reordering groceries or finding deals. But mismatches in expectations lead to more disputes—customers see charges they question, even if authorized.

Bruno's comments fit broader industry worries: protocols like Google's Agent Payments Protocol (with Adyen's support) aim to verify agent authority, but early adoption shows refund spikes. Adyen's reports note over half of U.S. shoppers open to AI buying, yet retailers fear errors causing losses.[[3]](https://www.adyen.com/press-and-media/retail-report-2026-us)

Payment firms like Adyen use AI for fraud detection but stress clear rules on liability, refunds, and data sharing to protect merchants.

Key quotes

Shoppers using AI are seeking refunds and disputing credit card charges at an elevated rate, highlighting the financial risks of AI-powered shopping.[[1]](https://www.theinformation.com/features/q-a)

Companies must figure out how to handle that risk before AI can reliably tackle online purchases.[[1]](https://www.theinformation.com/features/q-a)

Why it matters

AI shopping promises convenience but exposes merchants to scaled-up disputes from automated errors or buyer remorse.

Merchants and payment processors face higher chargeback costs and false declines unless agent verification improves.

Watch evolving protocols from Visa and Google, plus Adyen data on dispute trends, though full fixes may take time.