Should an AI shopping assistant tell the seller your maximum budget?

‘I can spend up to $800’ is useful information for a shopping assistant. It is rather useful information for a seller, too. I would prefer those to be two separate conversations. The FTC's January 2025 initial surveillance-pricing findings describe intermediaries that can use consumer data to tailor prices, discounts and product rankings. The public examples are hypothetical, and the study is not evidence that a particular AI shopping assistant passes your budget to a retailer. It does give us a reason to ask before connecting the two. My ceiling is a limit, not a target. If a $450 option does the job, show me that before finding something that uses the remaining $350. I would want the assistant to keep the ceiling private while comparing ordinary offers, and ask before including it in a seller inquiry. Some quotes genuinely need a budget; that should be a choice I can see. For your next purchase, try asking for the least expensive option that meets the requirements, with a clear explanation of what paying more would improve. A recommendation landing just below your limit is not proof of manipulation. It is a good reason to ask which cheaper option was rejected and why. Would you expect your assistant to keep that limit from the seller by default?