# The Rise of the AI Shopper: Visa and Mastercard Join the Automated Commerce Revolution

## The Rise of the AI Shopper: Visa and Mastercard Join the Automated Commerce Revolution

The artificial intelligence revolution is moving beyond the realm of startups and into the mainstream, with credit card giants Visa and Mastercard now entering the AI arena. Both companies recently unveiled initiatives designed to bring AI-powered shopping to consumers, paving the way for a future where AI agents handle our online purchases.

Visa’s announcement of “Intelligent Commerce” highlights its vision of AI agents capable of “finding and buying” goods and services on behalf of users. These agents will operate within pre-defined preferences set by the consumer, ensuring control over their spending habits. According to Visa’s chief product and strategy officer, Jack Forestell, “Each consumer sets the limits, and Visa helps manage the rest.” Visa is collaborating with a diverse group of companies, including tech heavyweights like Anthropic, IBM, Microsoft, and OpenAI, as well as innovative startups like Perplexity and Stripe, to develop these personalized, secure, and convenient AI shopping experiences.

Mastercard’s entry into the AI-powered commerce space is marked by its new “Agent Pay” offering. This technology empowers AI agents to proactively shop online for consumers, enhancing “generative AI conversations” by seamlessly integrating payments into tailored recommendations. Imagine an AI agent planning a milestone birthday party, capable of curating outfits and accessories from various local and online retailers based on the user’s style, venue ambiance, and even the weather forecast. The agent can then make the purchase and recommend the best payment method, all within a conversational platform. Mastercard is collaborating with Microsoft to expand the use cases for “agentic commerce,” and also partnering with IBM, Braintree, and Checkout.com to further develop other aspects of AI-driven shopping.

Visa and Mastercard are not alone in this pursuit. PayPal also recently announced its own agentic commerce offering, further solidifying the trend. Earlier in April, Amazon began testing its “Buy for Me” AI shopping agent with select users. Even companies like OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity have showcased similar agents designed to navigate websites and facilitate purchases. OpenAI is also updating its ChatGPT search tool to provide an improved online shopping experience.

These developments suggest a significant shift in how we interact with online commerce. As AI agents become more sophisticated, they promise to streamline the shopping experience, personalize recommendations, and potentially save consumers time and money. While questions surrounding data privacy and security remain, the potential benefits of AI-powered shopping are undeniable, and it appears the future of retail is rapidly evolving.