Consumer policy in the age of artificial intelligence

The Global Forum on Consumer Policy (GFCP) serves as a forum to discuss pressing and future-oriented consumer policy issues from a societal and economic perspective in a multistakeholder process. It draws on behavioural insights and interdisciplinary approaches and fosters co-operation and experience sharing among and within countries including across relevant policy communities.

The 2026 GFCP inaugural event will focus on consumer policy in the age of artificial intelligence. A high-level opening discussion will explore how consumer policy can enable trust, innovation and growth. Thematic sessions will then examine:

• the opportunities and risks of AI-powered marketing,
• the impact of AI-enabled products such as chatbots, humanoid robots and AI toys on consumer health and safety,
• how consumer and product safety authorities can use AI to strengthen policy and enforcement. Discussions will highlight key opportunities and challenges for international, cross-border and cross-policy co-operation.

📹 The opening high-level dialogue will be streamed live and open to all.

Participation in other sessions is by invitation only.

9:00-9:30. Registration
 

📹 9:30-10:30. High-level dialogue on consumer policy in the age of AI: Enabling trust, innovation, competitive markets and growth

Opening remarks: Mathias Cormann, OECD Secretary-General

Moderator: Jerry Sheehan, Director, OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation

Discussion:

• Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection
• Frank Schwabe, Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection, Germany 
• Stefan Hall, Acting Director General, Consumers International
• Prof. Christoph Busch, Director, European Legal Studies Institute, University of Osnabrück, Germany; Chairman, German Advisory Council on Consumer Affairs; Affiliated Fellow, Yale Information Society Project

10:30-11:00. Coffee break

11:00-12:30. Session 1: Opportunities and risks of AI-powered marketing

Focus: 

• Consumer benefits of AI-enabled marketing (e.g. personalisation, choice, savings) and related risks (e.g. deceptive practices, fraud/scams including deepfakes, exploitation of different groups), with a focus on concrete impacts.
• Consumer policy and enforcement approaches to address the challenges and the role of cross border and cross-policy co-operation (e.g. with competition and privacy policy).

12:30-12:45. Group photo

12:45-14:15. Lunch (hosted by Germany)

14:15-15:45. Session 2: Impact of products incorporating AI on consumer health and safety

Focus:

• Impacts of AI products with growing prevalence, such as AI chatbots, AI toys and emerging consumer robots, with a focus on concrete benefits (e.g. real-time hazard detection, adaptive learning) and health risks (e.g. physical and mental health, unpredictable behaviour, dependence).
• Product safety policy and enforcement approaches to address the challenges, and the role of cross-border and cross-policy co-operation (e.g. with consumer policy, competition, health, online safety, AI governance).

15:45-16:15. Coffee break

16:15-17:45. Session 3: Use of AI in consumer policy and enforcement

Focus: 

• Examples of current and possible future uses of AI, e.g. to detect deceptive or fraudulent practices – including those that are themselves AI-enabled – and unsafe products or enable more efficient complaint handling and dispute resolution mechanisms.
• Challenges (e.g. data quality/availability, accuracy of tools, resource constraints, transparency, accountability for AI-assisted decisions), ways to overcome them and lessons learnt.

17:45-17:55. Closing remarks

18:00-19:30. Reception