Mastercard executive vice president Gaurang Shah noted that consumers are increasingly using AI agents for product discovery, ranking, and comparison. While users currently stop at the recommendation stage, the industry is approaching a transition toward fully autonomous agentic commerce.
A key challenge in this shift is the 'trust equation' between consumers and merchants. Merchants require verification that an AI agent is legitimate, authorized by the consumer, and operating within set parameters. Liability for failed transactions remains a point of contention, as merchants argue that responsibility should lie with the agent broker.
The rise of autonomous agents threatens to shift the customer journey away from merchant-owned channels. Merchants are concerned that AI platforms might prioritize the lowest price over brand equity, service quality, or loyalty benefits, potentially undermining their ability to differentiate their offerings.
To maintain control, merchants are seeking to balance their presence on third-party AI platforms with their own digital properties. The goal is to ensure catalog availability for external agents while simultaneously developing proprietary agentic experiences to preserve direct customer relationships.
