
Let’s be honest—if you still think artificial intelligence is just a tech trend for scrappy startups, think again. The heavyweights are stepping in. This week, Visa and Mastercard made it clear: AI isn’t coming to commerce—it’s already here, swiping your card for you.
Visa introduced “Intelligent Commerce,” an AI framework designed to let autonomous agents shop for consumers based on predefined preferences. Translation? You tell AI what you like, set the boundaries, and it handles everything from browsing to buying.
“Each consumer sets the limits, and Visa helps manage the rest,” said Jack Forestell, Visa’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer.
They’re teaming up with a powerhouse lineup—OpenAI, Anthropic, IBM, Microsoft, Mistral AI, Samsung, Stripe, Perplexity and others—to make the AI shopping experience smarter, safer, and smoother.
Mastercard followed closely with its new initiative, Agent Pay. It brings generative AI into everyday transactions by embedding payment options directly into conversations. Say you’re planning a birthday bash. The AI agent picks outfits that match your vibe, venue, and forecast—then completes the transaction with your Mastercard credentials. No cart, no checkout, no problem.
They’re not going it alone either. Microsoft, IBM, Braintree, and Checkout.com are onboard to expand this capability and bring agentic commerce to scale.
PayPal? Also in. Amazon? Already testing a “Buy for Me” feature powered by its own AI. And OpenAI just updated ChatGPT’s shopping functionality to make web-based purchasing even more intelligent.
Here’s what’s wild: you’re not just getting recommendations—you’re outsourcing the entire shopping process. The bots are not just suggesting; they’re clicking “Buy Now” for you.
It’s more than convenience. It’s a strategic evolution. This shift may soon see retailers fighting not for consumer attention, but for placement on an AI agent’s shortlist.
From startups to the world’s biggest fintech names, one thing is clear—AI-powered shopping agents aren’t a concept. They’re a category. And they’re rewriting the rules of e-commerce.