Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of everyday consumer life: whether researching a new product or seeking assistance with consumer issues, consumers are turning to AI chatbots or automatically generated summaries more and more frequently. At the same time, it is foreseeable that AI agents will play a major role in the future.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia organized the expert event “Chatbot and AI agent: friend or foe?” on March 12, 2026. The event focused on the question of what opportunities and risks the use of AI presents for consumers. The event was moderated by ConPolicy Managing Director Prof. Dr. Christian Thorun.
Key takeaways from the event:
- AI chatbots and AI agents are already changing how consumers seek information and make decisions—a trend that is likely to accelerate further.
- Consumers benefit from more efficient information searches, greater relief through automated decisions, and low-barrier access methods, such as voice commands.
- At the same time, risks exist, such as the potential centralization of information and opinion formation within a few systems, the uncritical use of AI-generated content, and security and control issues—particularly with AI agents.
- The existing European legal framework and current regulatory initiatives (e.g., the Digital Fairness Act) have so far only partially addressed these developments and require further clarification.