Startup News 2025: How Pinterest Defines the Future of Agentic AI Shopping
In a world fueled by AI innovation, the concept of "agentic shopping," where autonomous AI agents can handle the entire shopping journey, from search to purchase, has been a hot topic in tech circles. However, according to Pinterest CEO Bill Ready, we’re still far from this fully automated future. Speaking during Pinterest's Q2 earnings call in 2025, Ready outlined why the company is focusing on being a personalized AI-driven shopping assistant instead of striving for fully autonomous shopping agents.
Whether you're an entrepreneur or startup founder, understanding Pinterest's strategy offers valuable lessons in leveraging AI to remain competitive while addressing user needs effectively. This article explores key insights from Pinterest's vision, statistics, essential steps for startups, common mistakes to avoid, and emerging AI tools that redefine business practices in 2025.
Lessons From Pinterest in Personalizing AI for the Future
1. Agentic AI Shopping: Still a Distant Reality
Ready clarified that while Pinterest positions itself at the forefront of AI-enabled e-commerce, fully autonomous AI shopping agents are still a long way off. The primary reason? Users are hesitant to relinquish control over their purchasing decisions. Most people still value the experience of browsing, exploring options, and making the final call themselves.
Quote from Bill Ready: "The idea of AI buying things for you with minimal human involvement is a very long cycle to play out. Users want inspiration, not complete automation."
Result: Over half of Pinterest's monthly users are Gen Z, and male users have increased by 95% year-over-year, showing how today’s users prefer platforms with personalized suggestions over hands-off AI agents.
2. Pinterest’s AI Approach: Personalized, Not Autonomous
Pinterest is investing heavily in AI not for full automation, but to make the shopping experience more intuitive and tailored. The company is using multi-modal AI (combining text, visual search, and conversational capacities) to enhance engagement and provide value-driven recommendations for users.
The platform acts as a shopping assistant rather than an agent, offering these features:
AI-driven personalized recommendations
Visual and conversational search tools
AI-powered ad targeting for improved relevance
This approach has driven Pinterest's revenue to $998 million in Q2 2025, with steady growth tied to its user-centric strategy.
Essential Steps for Startups Navigating AI in 2025
For entrepreneurs and startups looking to incorporate AI into their business, Pinterest's strategy offers compelling steps:
Start With the User in Mind: Instead of jumping to full automation, begin with AI tools that enhance user control and personalization.
Invest in Multi-Modal AI: Utilize a mix of visual, text, and conversational AI to address diverse user needs.
Adapt to User Demographics: Pinterest’s success with Gen Z and a rising male user base demonstrates that knowing your audience is key.
Develop Ethical AI Practices: Avoid flooding your platform with low-quality or AI-generated spam content. Implement tools for maintaining authenticity and trust.
Common Mistakes Startups Should Avoid
Over-Automation: While automation is appealing, full autonomy often alienates users who value involvement.
Ignoring Feedback Loops: User-generated data provides insights, but many startups fail to utilize it effectively for iterative AI improvements.
Neglecting Trust: AI personalization must align with user values and preferences. Always provide transparency in data usage.
Deep Insights: The F/MS AI Grant Finder
If you’re building an AI-powered platform or e-commerce business, securing funding can often be the biggest bottleneck. That’s where tools like the F/MS AI Grant Finder and Application Writer come in handy. Designed specifically for startups, this tool helps entrepreneurs quickly find European Union grants that align with their business and even drafts a polished grant application for you.
You simply provide details about your business, and the AI tool handles the rest, saving time and ensuring accuracy. It’s ideal for new founders who need funding but lack experience in navigating grant applications.
Highlighted AI Tools and Platforms for Entrepreneurs
Here are some AI tools every startup founder should explore:
PlayPal, the AI Friend
Developed by Fe/male Switch, PlayPal is an innovative conversational AI platform designed to assist users in various tasks. From mental health coaching to professional advice, PlayPal acts as a virtual co-founder in your entrepreneurial journey. Learn more about PlayPal and how it helps users build their startup ideas with personalized guidance.
AI Startup Lawyer
Entrepreneurs often need legal advice but can't afford expensive lawyers. AI Startup Lawyer helps startups analyze their contracts (e.g., shareholder agreements, CLAs, term sheets), ensures fairness in clauses, and provides accessible legal templates.
Fe/male Switch Startup Game
Looking for a gamified simulation for startup building? The F/MS Startup Game helps you gain real-world experience by simulating the entire entrepreneurial journey, from idea validation to securing funding.
Looking for a co-founder? Meet PlayPal, created by Violetta Bonenkamp, CEO of Fe/male Switch and a trailblazer in AI and gamepreneurship. Designed to function like a personalized assistant, PlayPal is much more than an AI chatbot. It can help entrepreneurs:
Validate ideas in Sandbox mode
Answer startup-related questions
Teach life skills through a conversational format
With PlayPal at your side, AI becomes a powerful partner in crafting remarkable business journeys.
Statistics That Matter in 2025
85% of startups using AI-backed tools report faster decision-making.
Pinterest now sees over half of its monthly users as Gen Z, highlighting the demographic shift toward younger audiences in tech.
AI adoption in e-commerce is projected to grow by 30% annually as brands continue to experiment with personalization and automation.
Conclusion: Building Startups with AI in 2025
Pinterest’s measured approach to AI, focusing on personalization over full automation, highlights why human-centric tools are critical even in a rapidly advancing tech landscape. The future of "agentic shopping" might still be years away, but combining AI-powered personalization with user-driven control is a winning formula today.
For startups and entrepreneurs, leveraging innovative tools like PlayPal, AI Grant Finder, and AI Startup Lawyer not only saves time but also ensures smarter, frictionless growth.
Start small, think big, and remember: AI is your co-founder, not your competitor.
FAQ
1. What is agentic shopping in the context of AI?
Agentic shopping refers to a future scenario where AI agents handle shopping autonomously for users, from product discovery to purchase, without requiring human intervention. However, Pinterest's CEO Bill Ready believes this vision is still far off, as users are not ready to give up control over their shopping decisions. Learn more about Pinterest’s stance on agentic shopping
2. How is Pinterest using AI differently from fully autonomous agents?
Pinterest focuses on enhancing user experiences with AI by acting as a personalized shopping assistant rather than aiming for full autonomy. They use multimodal AI combining text, visual search, and conversational tools to provide personalized recommendations and inspiration. Explore Pinterest’s AI strategies
3. Why is agentic shopping not widely adopted yet?
Consumers are hesitant to trust AI with full autonomy over their purchasing decisions. They value the process of browsing and making informed choices themselves, according to Pinterest CEO Bill Ready. Read about the challenges of agentic AI adoption
4. What demographic shifts on Pinterest are influencing its AI strategy?
Pinterest has seen over half of its users now coming from Gen Z, with male users increasing by 95% year-over-year. This demographic shift is influencing their focus on personalized, inspiration-led shopping tools. Check out Pinterest’s user demographics
5. How has AI impacted Pinterest’s revenue and business model in 2025?
Pinterest reported revenue of $998 million in Q2 2025, driven by AI-powered personalized shopping experiences and ad targeting. The company positions itself as a platform that inspires purchases through tailored suggestions rather than autonomous automation. Learn about Pinterest’s Q2 results
6. What tools are helping startups incorporate AI effectively in 2025?
7. What are common pitfalls startups should avoid when using AI?
Startups often go wrong by over-automating, ignoring customer feedback loops to improve their AI systems, and failing to maintain trust and transparency in data usage. Discover best practices for AI integration
8. What technology is Pinterest using to maintain content quality on its platform?
Pinterest has introduced AI-generated image labels to combat spammy or low-quality AI-generated content. They have also implemented moderation tools to filter and control generative AI pins. Learn about Pinterest’s content moderation tools
9. How does Pinterest view itself as part of the AI revolution?
Pinterest positions itself as a positive alternative to social media, tuning AI for user-centric and inspiring experiences rather than replacing human decision-making with fully autonomous systems. Explore Pinterest’s AI vision
10. What emerging AI tools are useful for solving legal and business challenges for startups?
The AI Startup Lawyer assists entrepreneurs in reviewing contracts and legal documents, offering accessible templates and fairness analysis for legal clauses.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch. The Fe/male Switch team is located in several countries, including the Netherlands and Malta.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
100+ startup tools built
5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.