AI Agents Are Becoming the New Power Brokers in Digital Commerce

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Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way people shop, pay, and interact with online businesses. A new report by PYMNTS highlights how AI agents are evolving from simple assistants into powerful decision-makers capable of managing entire consumer journeys. The study, developed in collaboration with Visa, explains that emerging technologies such as tokenization and agentic AI are laying the foundation for what researchers call “The Prompt Economy”—a digital marketplace where transactions are triggered by commands rather than clicks.
At the center of this transformation is the concept of invisible checkout. Traditionally, online purchases required consumers to manually enter payment details, verify identities, and store credentials across multiple merchant platforms. Now, AI agents can handle these steps automatically. Acting on behalf of users, these intelligent systems can pay bills, book travel, process returns, and even personalize shopping experiences without requiring constant human input.
A critical technology enabling this shift is tokenization, which replaces sensitive financial data with secure digital tokens. These tokens allow AI systems to confirm identity and authorize transactions without exposing private information, significantly reducing the risk of fraud. The report describes tokenization as a “trust layer” that ensures security while allowing AI agents to operate seamlessly across devices, wallets, and digital channels.
Both static and dynamic tokens play important roles in this ecosystem. Static tokens help maintain consistent credentials for recurring payments, while dynamic tokens generate unique identifiers for each transaction, adding an extra level of protection. Combined with credential-on-file systems, these tools can improve payment approval rates and streamline the checkout process, creating a faster and safer experience for consumers.
The infrastructure supporting agent-driven commerce is also advancing quickly. Digital wallets are embedding tokenization deeper into their platforms, enabling AI agents to access stored payment and identity information wherever users keep their data. Meanwhile, developers are building agent-native identity and payment layers designed specifically for autonomous systems. These new frameworks aim to bypass traditional checkout pages entirely, allowing transactions to occur instantly once an AI agent receives a prompt.
Payment networks are contributing to the transformation as well by standardizing token frameworks and offering application programming interfaces (APIs) that help partners create trusted AI-powered services at scale. This growing cooperation across the technology ecosystem suggests that agentic commerce is moving beyond experimentation and toward widespread adoption.
The implications for businesses are profound. Instead of competing only for customer attention, companies may soon need to optimize their platforms for AI agents that make purchasing decisions based on efficiency, price, and user preferences. In such an environment, brand loyalty could shift from emotional appeal to algorithmic recommendation.
For consumers, the benefits include greater convenience, reduced friction, and highly personalized experiences. Imagine an AI agent that monitors subscription costs, automatically switches to better deals, schedules deliveries at ideal times, and resolves customer service issues—all without requiring manual effort. Shopping could become less about browsing and more about instructing technology to meet specific needs.
However, this evolution also raises important questions about control, transparency, and trust. As AI agents gain the authority to execute financial transactions, ensuring strong security standards and clear accountability will be essential. Consumers must feel confident that their digital representatives act in their best interests and protect their sensitive information.
Ultimately, the report signals a broader shift in the digital economy. Commerce is increasingly being triggered by prompts rather than physical actions, reflecting a future where intelligent systems operate as active participants in financial ecosystems. AI agents are no longer just helpful tools—they are emerging as influential power brokers capable of reshaping how global commerce functions.
As tokenization technology matures and agent-driven infrastructure expands, the line between human decision-making and automated execution will continue to blur. Businesses that adapt early may gain a competitive advantage, while those slow to respond could struggle in a marketplace increasingly dominated by intelligent automation.