Apple’s privacy policy for the Apple Store app suggests it will soon have a virtual shopping assistant to help users decide what to buy.
The app will have a chat interface where users can ask questions about Apple products, with Apple using data such as account information, device IDs, chat information, carrier information and location data to provide a personalized experience. Transcripts of discussions are recorded for future reference.
Apple says the information is sent to its “partners” to help Apple provide a conversational response, suggesting that Apple could use a third-party AI model for the virtual assistant.
When the Apple Store app Virtual Shopping Assistant is available, Apple collects and stores your account information, device identifiers, carrier information, chat information, and, when enabled, location data to personalize the chat experience, provide relevant responses, and, if you consent, to improve the Virtual Shopping Assistant. Before sharing chat with our partners, Apple removes personal identifiers. These partners will use this information only to help Apple provide a conversational response. Apple will save these transcriptions to make them available when you return to the Apple Store app, for our business analytics, and, if you choose, to improve the Virtual Shopping Assistant.
The virtual shopping assistant interface is not yet available in the Apple Store app, although it is possible that Apple is testing the feature with some users. Apple also added a virtual assistant to its Apple Support app, but that feature still isn’t available to everyone.
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