AI Shopping App Phia Reportedly Claimed Affiliate Sales Via Fake Clicks

Phia was founded by Phoebe Gates, who is the daughter of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, together with Sophia Kianni. The pair launched the app as a consumer-facing tool aimed at helping users navigate online shopping and pricing, positioning it within the growing category of AI-assisted commerce products.

The company has drawn attention in part because of Gates's high profile, and the app has been presented publicly as a technology-driven approach to retail. The current report shifts focus toward the platform's revenue mechanics and the integrity of its affiliate relationships.

Why it matters

Affiliate marketing underpins a substantial share of revenue for many shopping and comparison platforms worldwide, including those serving markets across Europe and Africa where mobile commerce and price-comparison tools are expanding. Questions about how clicks and sales are attributed touch on trust between apps, retailers and the affiliate networks that sit between them. When attribution is disputed, it can affect the commissions retailers pay and the confidence advertisers place in referral data.

For consumers and merchants, the accuracy of affiliate tracking matters because it determines who is credited—and paid—for driving a purchase. Reports of fabricated clicks, if substantiated, raise broader concerns about verification standards across the affiliate ecosystem, an area that regulators and platform operators in multiple regions continue to monitor.

As of this report, the details available come from Engadget's coverage. Further information about any response from Phia, its founders, or the affiliate networks involved was not detailed in the available source material, and the situation may develop as additional facts emerge.