Amex introduces a framework to prevent AI agents from making unauthorized purchases

American Express has unveiled a new framework called the "Intent Intelligence Framework" to prevent AI agents from executing unauthorized purchases on behalf of users. This framework aims to capture and authenticate a customer's purchase intent before the AI agent processes the transaction, ensuring that the customer's instructions are followed throughout the entire transaction process.

American Express VP of Agentic Partnerships and Strategy, Hannah Bozian, explained that this framework will help maintain seamless, trusted, and secure transactions, which are what card members expect. The framework includes a Create Intent API, which gathers the customer's purchase instructions, including constraints such as the merchant's name, maximum budget, and product preferences.

Additionally, the framework generates an Intent ID and a Proof of Intent Token, which serve as a secure digital payment credential for the transaction. This approach differs from competitors by capturing intent earlier in the transaction flow, helping to mitigate risks before they occur. Bozian highlighted how the framework can prevent transactions from proceeding if the AI agent makes a mistake, such as purchasing shoes from Adidas instead of Nike when the customer intended to buy white Nike sneakers.

The framework also supports different parts of the transaction process, improving fraud prevention and dispute resolution. With the growth of agentic commerce, American Express is actively working with partners in the payments ecosystem to implement the ACE (Agentic Commerce Experiences) Developer Toolkit, including the agentic tokens and other components of the developer kit.

An in-depth discussion of the Intent Intelligence Framework will be presented at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026's Industry Stage on October 13.