AI and consumer rights

Consumer rights are another frontier for testing forced AI adoption. Do consumers have a right to have AI use by companies disclosed? Should customers have a right to certain goods or services without agreeing to AI use? There are already AI-related stories that point to consumer rights becoming an issue.

Some relevant examples:

According to a recent poll, many Americans (70%) believe that they should have a legal right to human support when they interact with customer service. You can read an article in The Independent about it here.

In May 2026, The Guardian covered a story about a psychiatrist in Melbourne, Australia, who rejected patients who would not accept AI-notetaking. Read the story here. This story wasn’t from the U.S., but it reveals a situation which will become more common. In this case, consumer rights and patient rights are both potentially in play.

The federal government is already acting on AI-related consumer issues. You can find examples on the FTC website here. Many states are also entering the fray to defend consumers from AI-related fraud and scams.

Companies are also being urged to be transparent with their use of AI agents. AI has specifically been addressed in 2026 by the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK. Read more here.