AI agents are moving from suggestions to making purchases
Artificial intelligence is quietly changing how we buy things. What began as product recommendations and chatbots for customer support is evolving into AI agents that can complete purchases on behalf of people and businesses. A recent report from Global Payments Inc., a provider of payment technology and services, highlights this shift and what it could mean for merchants, buyers and the payments ecosystem.
What are AI purchasing agents?
AI purchasing agents are software programs that act on behalf of a user to find, choose and pay for products or services. They combine conversational AI, personalization models and payment integrations to handle tasks such as:
- Searching for items that match user preferences.
- Comparing prices, reviews and delivery options.
- Completing checkout using saved payment methods or authorizations.
- Managing subscriptions and repeat orders automatically.
Why merchants and buyers are paying attention
There are clear advantages that attract both sides of the market.
- Convenience for consumers: AI agents can save time by handling routine purchases and remembering preferences.
- Higher conversion for merchants: Faster checkout and fewer abandoned carts mean more completed sales.
- Efficiency in B2B procurement: For businesses, agents can follow budget rules and procurement policies to speed up repeat purchases.
- Personalization at scale: Agents use past behavior to tailor product choices and delivery options.
Payments infrastructure needs to evolve
For AI agents to work smoothly, payment systems must adapt. Key technical and operational requirements include:
- Secure tokenization: Storing payment details securely while allowing delegated payments.
- Consent and authorization flows: Mechanisms that let a user grant and revoke permission for an agent to pay.
- Real-time fraud detection: New fraud patterns will emerge when purchases are automated, so detection must keep pace.
- Seamless refunds and dispute handling: Processes that let users easily review and reverse agent-initiated transactions.
Integration challenges
Many merchants operate legacy systems that were not built for machine-driven buying. Integrating agent workflows with inventory, fulfillment and payment reconciliation will require updates and new standards to ensure reliability and transparency.
Trust, privacy and user control
Autonomous purchases raise questions about privacy and control. People want convenience, but they also want to understand what decisions an AI is making and why. That creates several design priorities:
- Clear consent: Users must explicitly authorize agents to act and be able to limit scope and spending.
- Transparency: Easy access to logs showing what the agent bought and why.
- Easy overrides: The ability to pause or stop an agent mid-process.
- Data minimization: Agents should store only the data needed to perform tasks.
Risks and regulatory considerations
As agents handle money, regulators and consumer advocates will scrutinize liability, fraud prevention and dispute resolution. Areas likely to draw attention include:
- Who is responsible for unauthorized or erroneous transactions — the user, the agent provider, or the merchant?
- Standards for proving user consent and intent.
- Rules ensuring explainability and fair treatment of consumers.
Opportunities for businesses
Companies that prepare now can gain an early advantage. Practical steps include:
- Adapting checkout flows to accept delegated payments and tokens.
- Investing in fraud tools designed for automated behavior.
- Designing clear communication so customers trust agent-driven purchases.
- Exploring subscription and replenishment models tailored to agents.
What to expect next
Widespread adoption won’t happen overnight. Expect phased rollouts: pilots for repeat purchases and B2B procurement, then broader consumer use as trust and standards mature. Payment providers, merchants and AI developers will need to work together to balance convenience, security and regulation.
AI agents have the potential to make commerce faster and more personalized, but the shift requires careful engineering and thoughtful policy. When those pieces come together, autonomous purchasing could become a routine part of how individuals and businesses buy goods and services.