Online stores weigh whether their checkout can handle AI shoppers

Online stores are asking a new question: can their checkout handle shoppers that are really AI programs? A Fiserv executive says merchants are grappling with how their payments technology will cope as artificial intelligence reshapes online buying. Payments Dive reported the comments.

What changed

McKinsey says payments made by AI agents could drive $3 trillion to $5 trillion in global sales by 2030. An AI agent is software that shops for you and can complete a purchase. Fiserv is a company that supplies payments technology to merchants.

Today versus later

Right now, a person still approves the purchase. Because of that, the Fiserv executive says stores need few changes. That could shift. Later, agents may buy on their own, without a person clicking approve each time.

If that happens, stores may need two digital receipts. Together, they would prove who approved what: the shopper, and the agent acting for the shopper.

Who it affects

The main audience is anyone who sells online. Shoppers may feel it too, since the way they approve and track purchases could change. The material does not say how.

What is not known yet

The source material does not say when agents will buy on their own, or what the two receipts would look like. It also does not say what Fiserv plans to offer. Those details are still open.

What to do

If you sell online, ask your payment provider how it will verify and handle purchases made by AI agents.