Mobile Tech

Revolutionizing Retail: Apple Store’s AI-powered Virtual Shopping Assistant

Published

4 hours ago

July 23, 2026

An animated image of Edward (Richard Gere) from 'Pretty Woman' preparing to spend a 'really offensive' amount of money in an Apple Store.

In the Apple Store app, you may find yourself having a conversation like this with a virtual shopping assistant.

Mr. Hollister: “Just how obscene an amount of money were you talking about? Just profane or really offensive?”

Edward: “Really offensive.”

Mr. Hollister: “I like him so much.”

(Pretty Woman)

A recent change in the privacy policy for the Apple Store app hints at the introduction of a new Virtual Shopping Assistant, similar to the Apple Support Assistant.

Apple has been gradually incorporating AI tools into its operating systems and apps, both internally and for customer interactions. While human support is still utilized for certain queries, AI is increasingly being used in various scenarios.

Although the Apple Support app features a similar functionality with an “Ask” tab for user queries, it mainly relies on Apple documentation for responses.

The Virtual Shopping Assistant was first mentioned in the Apple Store app’s privacy policy, as reported by MacRumors. The policy outlines the data collected by the feature, including account information, device identifiers, chat information, and location data for personalization and improvement purposes. However, the AI chat tool has not been activated yet, despite the app’s recent update.

According to the privacy policy, the Virtual Shopping Assistant collects and stores user data to enhance the chat experience and provide relevant responses. Personal identifiers are removed before sharing the chat with partners, who assist Apple in generating conversational responses. Users can control the use of this data for improving the experience through the app’s settings.

The specifics of how these “partners” will contribute to providing responses remain unclear. It is possible that this collaboration is part of a broader partnership initiative. The potential capabilities of the Virtual Shopping Assistant are not explicitly defined in the privacy policy, but it is expected to enhance the shopping experience compared to the existing search feature.

In an ideal scenario, the virtual assistant could suggest complementary accessories for items in the user’s shopping bag, similar to a salesperson’s recommendations. Hopefully, the new feature will offer valuable assistance without excessive flattery, as depicted in Pretty Woman.

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