Visa, one of the world’s largest payment networks, recently announced its “Intelligent Commerce” program. This initiative allows AI agents to search, recommend and complete consumer purchases, marking bold steps in the evolution of traditional payment systems.
Representatives from Creditcoin, Kite AI and Space ID told Beincrypto that the move will bring unparalleled user convenience, but there is also growing concern over the transfer of financial management to autonomous systems.
The dawn of autonomous commercial
By launching Intelligent Commerce, Visa has officially announced a new era of commerciality where other payment giants are likely to continue. In a way, the announcement was inevitable.
With the rapid rise in artificial intelligence (AI), businesses hoping to go ahead of the curve are rushing to integrate their capabilities into their products and services.
In fact, Visa’s initiative is worth noting. Using intelligent commerce programs, consumers effectively delegate their purchasing power to autonomous systems. These agents make purchase decisions by analyzing user data and considering the restrictions set by consumers.
The entire process changes the paradigm of traditional payment methods.
“It’s not just passing on payment methods, it delegates decision-making power to an AI agent. This brings a whole new layer of consumer identity and autonomy. Instead of logging in to the bank or checking out on the website, it conveys an intelligent system. “Here’s my rules.
The technological infrastructure that supports the system itself is also worth noting.
Ensuring AI-driven payments through tokenization
In Visa’s intelligent commerce program, tokenization is important in providing seamless functionality.
When a user connects a visa card to an AI agent in an intelligent commerce program, the card details are not stored or shared directly with the AI.
Instead, Visa’s secure payment system and PassKeys authenticate users and convert card information into digital tokens.
This process creates an “AI-Reaid Card” so that the AI ​​agent can interact with this token only, not the sensitive card number itself.
In addition to tokenization, Visa has also developed an additional layer of security aimed at providing an aggressive defense mechanism.
This program is designed to meet the clear needs of the market. Easily purchase through AI agents to reduce the burden on people with heavy workloads.
“Most importantly, advances in tokenization infrastructure allow sensitive card information to be replaced with secure digital tokens embedded in AI agents. These tokens promote seamless and secure transactions without revealing actual card credentials. We explained.
How does AI transform consumer spending?
If well designed, programs like Intelligent Commerce can significantly reduce stress. Consumers never forget to pay their bills, and their AI will always optimize to meet budgetary restrictions.
“They give people more freedom by taking over something that usually takes relatively long. For example, AI-driven spending can actually be a lifesaver for busy moms.
This disruptive approach, when adopted at scale, has a major impact on the brand’s marketing strategy. Instead of dealing with individuals, you need to appeal to the algorithm.
“The impact can be severe. AI agents trained with individually agreed spending patterns can shift their power from brands and emotional marketing towards functional performance. If you know that AI prefers sustainable products, they may actively bypass mainstream options in favor of alternatives across the environment.
The program is also expected to lead to product recommendations that are more relevant to consumers, and will help you find items that have been previously overlooked. In a way, this evaluates small branded arenas.
However, the potential benefits of these systems are currently conditional, as many obstacles, especially psychological barriers, can hinder their broad acceptance.
Human elements: Trust as a prerequisite
Programs like Visa’s Intelligent Commerce rely on top-level trust. Everyone may feel that they tend to give autonomous systems permission on how they handle their finances.
“We want to control our money. For many people, using autopay on bills is growing. So AI can start discretionary purchases and even small ones can make anxiety and second guesses. And it introduces a new kind of emotional distance from spending,” Oh emphasized.
These systems may be frictionless, but there may be some friction when it comes to spending. Pausing before pressing the buy button will go a long way in avoiding overconsumption.
The vast amount of personal information these agents have over customer data is another reason for distrust.
Who is responsible for AI misusing data?
Visa’s tokenized infrastructure protects sensitive data, but its security measures are not all comprehensive. At the same time, for now, Visa is the only global payment system offering these services.
According to a recent report, Visa processed nearly 234 billion transactions in 2024 alone, reaching 13.2 trillion payments. These numbers are impressive, but are especially appealing to bad actors.
“If your financial actions are processed and stored by several major players, it becomes a very attractive target. For misuse by the platform itself, not just hackers. Who controls that data? Can it be ported to other services? A governance question that users have not been fully answered.
On the other hand, access to such comprehensive data raises serious questions about user privacy. It is unclear who will be responsible for any AI agents misuse or misuse of information.
“A collection of ultra-personalized spending data opens Pandora’s box of governance and privacy issues. This data is owned by users, AI providers, or visas. What happens if that data is sold, leaked or reused?” Sea said.
The technology is undoubtedly innovative, but its long-term success depends on how it is implemented.
Beyond Profit: Social Impact of AI Commerce
For AI-driven payment systems to truly contribute to society, the basic “trust contracts” must prioritize human needs over financial gain.
If this doesn’t happen, many negative outcomes can affect the customer.
“There is the possibility of homogenization of algorithms where AI compresses consumer diversity and strengthens popular or pre-integrated brands. Furthermore, this level of financial delegation could enable a new form of surveillance capitalism where spending data becomes premium commodity,” Shi pointed out.
How these systems are deployed can also lead to the elimination of specific sectors of society.
“A person who is very untech-savvy, like the elderly, can be completely left behind. Anyone who still struggles to understand smartphones and banking apps will be completely lost with an AI agent,” Shikova emphasized.
Developers need to carefully plan the educational tools that come with these new payment methods. Otherwise there is plenty of room for exploitation.
“If we don’t pay attention, we risk deepening digital disparities. These tools require trust, infrastructure and access to data, which are not evenly distributed. Those who don’t fully understand AI decisions or lack reliable digital access can be underdesigned or exploited by predatory systems.
Every technological change has cultural changes. In an increasingly digital world that shows no signs of slowing down, the industry needs to create guardrails that prioritize humanity over mere profits. It is the most sustainable way to a healthy future.
Post Visa is launching a money-based AI.
