Visa and Mastercard, the two largest payment networks, already have artificial intelligence (AI) agents in advanced stages of development that make purchases and payments on behalf of their customers.
For example, it will be possible for these AI agents to buy and pay for a pair of sneakers when the price drops below a pre-defined value.
Both Visa and Mastercard are already developing pilot programs in the United States in which AI agents can select and purchase products based on customer preferences and make payment to complete the transaction.
Data and customer experience platform Bloomreach indicates that industry estimates suggest that the global market for AI applied to e-commerce could exceed US$45,000 million (close to 38,000 million euros) by 2032.
According to Deloitte market estimates, agentic AI [que dá apoio] it could generate 30% of global e-commerce sales, equivalent to approximately 17.5 billion dollars (around 14.7 billion euros).
A running shoe shopper will be able to consult the AI and input their weight, running speed, preferred shoe style and previous model to receive recommendations. Once the purchase intention is expressed, the AI agent locates the sneaker in a store, arranges payment and sends it to the user.
This is just one of the possibilities that can extend to many other purchases, such as booking trips, renting a car or buying everything needed for a birthday party, for example.
Visa’s general director in Spain, Eduardo Prieto, explained to EFE that in the United States the company has already completed hundreds of real transactions initiated by AI agents in controlled environments.
Starting this year, AI agents will begin to evolve, moving from recommending products to executing payments on behalf of consumers, always with explicit authorization and under strict security standards.
In Europe, Visa will launch its first pilot programs early this year with the aim of adapting its technology to regulations and each market.
Mastercard’s vice president of product and director of solutions in Iberia, Susana Rubio, also told EFE that the company has already started working with different pilots in the United States, having established partnerships to test payments with AI agents.
Walmart, the largest supermarket chain in the United States, is one of the participating retailers, along with payment platforms such as Stripe and banks such as Citi and US Bank.
Mastercard is also developing solutions to monitor the activity of purchasing agents and working to prevent them from completing transactions at fraudulent merchants.
In Europe, Mastercard has not yet announced a timetable for the launch of agent payment pilot programs.
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