Visa announced on Thursday the successful completion of hundreds of AI transactions during a pilot program initiated after their product event in April. This development is part of a broader trend in the fintech industry, where companies are racing to develop tools that empower consumers to use artificial intelligence agents for executing specific transactions.
"This year marks a significant shift, as we anticipate substantial consumer adoption and increased comfort with various agentic environments," stated Rubail Birwadker, Visa's head of growth products and partnerships, in an interview.
AI is revolutionizing the e-commerce landscape, altering how shoppers browse and make purchases. Mastercard revealed in April that it is testing 'Agent Pay,' a feature allowing AI agents to shop online on behalf of customers. That same month, Amazon began piloting a 'Buy For Me' service, and PayPal collaborated with Perplexity on agentic shopping tools. A Visa survey conducted earlier in December indicated that nearly half of U.S. shoppers are already integrating AI into their purchasing processes.
Despite the limited current data, Birwadker mentioned that these AI tools could be particularly beneficial for recurring purchases or events like concert ticket sales.
Looking to the future, Visa plans to roll out additional pilot programs in Asia and Europe next year, actively working with more than 20 partners on AI agent tool development.
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