Senators Baldwin, Scott ask FTC probe 'Made in USA' bias
US senators Tammy Baldwin and Rick Scott want the FTC to check if Amazon's and Walmart's AI shopping tools are making it harder to find "made in the USA" products.
They're worried these bots might be nudging shoppers toward foreign goods instead, raising questions about fairness and support for American-made stuff.
Study: Alexa, Sparky suppress US listings
A study by a think tank led by former FTC chair Lina Khan found that Amazon's Alexa for Shopping and Walmart's Sparky suppress information about American-origin products while offering data on products made in other countries, such as China, over U.S.-made items.
The report also says these bots can spot fake "made in USA" product labels, but companies aren't fixing them because enforcement is weak.
Both senators say this deserves urgent attention to protect shoppers and American jobs.