What will it take for AI-powered purchases to become the norm?
Anyone who has spent time on the internet researching goods and doing lengthy price comparisons will be intrigued by developments in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for agentic commerce. This new form of online shopping involves AI-powered agents – autonomous software systems that use reasoning, memory and external tools to complete multi-step tasks across different sites and platforms on…
The future of AI-powered purchases remains uncertain, but experts believe widespread adoption is possible with the right solutions. Ant International's chief innovation officer, Jiangming Yang, predicts AI agents could handle US$3 trillion to US$5 trillion of global consumer commerce by 2030. These autonomous software systems use reasoning and memory to complete multi-step tasks across different sites and platforms, including searching for products, comparing options, negotiating prices, and completing purchases without human intervention.
However, Yang emphasizes that for AI agents to reach their full potential, businesses need "full-stack AI-native solutions" that integrate AI into every layer of the purchasing process, including payments, accounting, foreign exchange, treasury, and growth operations. This will enable agents to execute tasks securely and efficiently across all functions.
Yang identifies trust and transparency as major challenges for widespread adoption. Users may initially be skeptical about autonomous agents making buying decisions and accessing sensitive financial data. To address this, Ant International's two-layered security architecture includes a payment-specific AI model to detect fraud and scams, as well as a "know-your-agent" framework to verify agents' digital identities and ensure they adhere to user-defined parameters.
Another hurdle is integration complexity, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources. Yang advocates for an interoperable framework that reduces duplicated work processes while maintaining trust and managing risks. Ant International has introduced the Agentic Mobile Protocol (AMP), a mobile-first, wallet-agnostic open protocol designed for cross-border agentic commerce.
Currently, AMP is supported by 10 digital wallets within Alipay+, reaching 1.5 billion user accounts worldwide and connected to seven leading acquiring platforms.
To achieve mass adoption, Yang stresses that payment systems must evolve to support AI agents seamlessly integrated across all business functions. Ant International, a fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group, believes that by addressing these challenges and developing full-stack AI-native solutions, AI-powered purchases could become the norm in the near future.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
