What are autonomous AI assistants and should I be worried about my website traffic?

Let me separate the hype from reality:

What autonomous AI assistants are: AI that can:

• Complete multi-step tasks independently
• Make decisions within defined parameters
• Execute transactions on behalf of users
• Learn user preferences over time

Current state (December 2025):

Realistic timeline:

• 2025-2026: Expanded integrations, more plugins
• 2027-2028: Meaningful agentic commerce
• 2028+: Potentially mainstream

What this means for e-commerce: You have 2-3 years before this significantly impacts your business. But the groundwork you lay now determines your position then.

Don’t panic. Do prepare.

Here’s what “preparing for agentic AI” actually means technically:

Make your business “callable”:

What “API-ready” means: AI agents need to programmatically:

• Search your products
• Check availability
• Get pricing
• Complete purchases
• Handle returns/support

Current integration options:

• ChatGPT plugins (limited)
• Shopify AI integrations
• Custom API development

The investment: For most mid-size e-commerce:

• Basic API exposure: $20-50K
• Full agentic readiness: $100-200K
• Ongoing maintenance: $10-20K/year

Priority: Don’t build everything now. Build the foundation (structured data, basic APIs) and expand when the market matures.

Here’s why brand matters MORE in an agentic world, not less:

The AI agent scenario: User: “Order me running shoes” AI: “Based on your preferences, I recommend [Brand X]. Should I proceed?”

What determines the recommendation?

1. Brand recognition (AI knows the brand)
2. Previous user history with brand
3. AI’s training on brand quality/reviews
4. Availability and pricing

Notice what’s missing:

• Website design
• SEO rankings (partially)
• Checkout experience

What matters more:

• Brand reputation in training data
• Customer review sentiment
• Word-of-mouth AI picks up
• Category association (“running shoes” = your brand)

The shift: Website experience → Brand reputation in AI’s knowledge

What to do:

1. Monitor how AI describes your brand
2. Build positive associations
3. Get mentioned in contexts AI learns from
4. Maintain quality that generates good reviews

Brand building becomes even more critical when AI is the intermediary.

Travel is ahead on this. Here’s what we’re seeing:

Current agentic integrations:

• Flight booking through ChatGPT plugins
• Hotel search and booking
• Itinerary planning
• Real-time pricing

What’s working:

• Brands with strong AI visibility get recommended
• Clear, structured inventory data gets surfaced
• Positive sentiment in training data matters

What’s not working (yet):

• Complex multi-destination bookings
• Nuanced customer service
• Personalization beyond basics
• Price negotiation

Our strategy:

1. ChatGPT plugin live (basic booking)
2. Building AI visibility for brand recognition
3. Investing in structured data
4. Preparing more complex integrations for 2026-2027

The insight: Don’t wait for perfect agentic AI. Start with what’s possible now.

For e-commerce: Watch travel. We’re the test case. What works for us will translate to retail.

Let me address the traffic worry directly:

Will website traffic decline? For some transaction types, yes. Eventually.

The timeline:

• Now: 0-2% of transactions AI-mediated
• 2027: Maybe 5-10% AI-mediated
• 2030: Could be 20-30%

But here’s the nuance:

What actually declines: Routine, repeat purchases where AI can learn patterns.

What remains: Discovery, complex decisions, new customer acquisition.

The math: If 20% of transactions become AI-mediated, and you capture 30% of AI recommendations (vs 10% of web traffic), you’re ahead.

Focus: Win the AI recommendation, not just the website visit.

Here’s a practical roadmap:

Phase 1: Foundation (Now - 6 months)

• Build AI visibility (citations in ChatGPT, Perplexity)
• Implement structured data (schema markup)
• Ensure product data is clean and complete
• Monitor with Am I Cited

Phase 2: Infrastructure (6-18 months)

• Develop basic product APIs
• Prepare inventory/pricing feeds
• Evaluate integration opportunities
• Test simple AI integrations

Phase 3: Integration (18-36 months)

• Launch ChatGPT plugin or equivalent
• Build deeper agentic capabilities
• Create AI-optimized transaction paths
• Iterate based on usage

Investment priority:

The principle: Visibility first (cheap, immediate impact). Infrastructure second (necessary foundation). Full integration third (wait for market maturity).

This calmed me down. My takeaways:

The reality check:

• Autonomous AI is coming but not imminent
• 2-3 years before significant e-commerce impact
• Preparation time exists

What I was worried about:

• Website becoming irrelevant (not true)
• AI controlling all decisions (not soon)
• Nothing I can do (lots I can do)

My action plan:

Next 3 months:

• Start monitoring AI visibility with Am I Cited
• Audit our structured data (schema markup)
• Ensure product data is AI-ready

6-12 months:

• Explore API development for key products
• Evaluate ChatGPT plugin potential
• Build AI visibility through content

12-24 months:

• Implement basic AI integrations
• Test agentic commerce where possible
• Prepare for mainstream adoption

Mindset shift: From “defend website traffic” to “be visible wherever AI is.”

The brands that win will be:

1. Visible in AI today
2. Accessible to AI agents tomorrow
3. Trusted enough to be recommended

Thanks everyone. Much less terrified now.