The launch of agentic commerce platforms like Mastercard’s Agent Pay represents a new phase in how artificial intelligence is integrated into the shopping experience. Still, agentic commerce is far from ubiquitous, and Mastercard is now moving forward with plans to pilot Agent Pay in the UAE.
These platforms aim to give users an AI agent that acts as a personal shopper. With minimal input, the agents are designed to handle the entire shopping process—from product selection to completing the transaction.
Agent Pay’s UAE trial will be conducted in partnership with Majid Al Futtaim, a corporation that owns shopping malls, hotels, and various retail stores across the region. One of the initial use cases being explored is using Agent Pay to shop for and purchase movie tickets at VOX Cinemas.
Choosing the Right Ticket
Although these platforms unlock powerful use cases, questions remain about how effectively AI agents can perform these tasks.
For example, if a user wants to purchase movie tickets, how specific must their instructions be for the AI agent to fulfill the request to their satisfaction? If customers need to provide strict guidance on the film and showtime, the AI agent’s value may be limited.
Conversely, many users may be uncomfortable giving AI full autonomy to select and purchase their evening’s entertainment. This could lead to a surge in disputes if customers are unhappy with the AI’s choices.
What’s more, there are still concerns about the security of agentic commerce transactions and the protocols needed to prevent fraud and misuse.
Not a Novelty
All of these factors contribute to the obstacles agentic commerce faces in achieving broader acceptance. While many users are open to AI-assisted shopping, they often want the final say before a payment is made.
Despite these lingering questions, many of the largest financial services players have invested heavily in the infrastructure to facilitate this new paradigm. For example, both Visa and Google have launched protocols designed to establish guardrails around AI agents.
This investment, combined with the promise of agentic AI, indicates that organizations can’t discount agentic commerce as a novelty. While there may be no need to rush adoption, companies should consider how this disruptive technology could shape their operations.
