American Express is moving to accommodate a new kind of customer—not a person, but an AI agent acting on behalf of a cardholder.
To support this shift, the company has announced plans to enable purchases made by registered AI agents. The Amex Agentic Commerce Experiences (ACE) developer kit is designed to facilitate AI-driven transactions through its closed-loop network.
ACE allows cardmembers to designate which verified AI agents can complete purchases using their cards. Only approved agents are authorized to transact, and the system uses what Amex calls Intent Intelligenceto help ensure that transactions reflect the user’s intended actions.
“American Express’ agentic AI developer tool kit strategy is a wise move into propagating usage,” said Brian Riley, Director of Credit at Javelin Strategy & Research. “It removes barriers for developers to integrate into the American Express ecosystem and simplifies how independents can approach account access. We’ve seen this cooperative strategy work well in other segments, such as business cards and rewards, and expect this will help American Express stay at the top of their game.”
The initiative builds on Amex’s existing infrastructure, which is designed to capture and manage multiple aspects of a transaction within its network.
“This will allow American Express to take advantage of their three-party network, where they own both the cardholder and merchant relationship,” Riley said.
A User-Friendly App
American Express intends to make the experience straightforward for users. In an interview with Digital Commerce 360,Luke Gebb, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Innovation, said the Amex mobile app will provide visibility into where a user’s account credentials are stored.
“Maybe you’ve asked three different agents to do different things for you and those intents are outstanding,” Gebb said. “When purchases come through, match them to the intent so you can see. If you have a problem, you can address it in there.”
Addressing Possible Errors
The company also acknowledges ongoing consumer skepticism around AI-enabled purchases.
As part of ACE, Amex plans to offer Agent Purchase Protection, intended to address disputes if an AI agent makes an error. Details of this protection model are still being developed.
