Key Points
- Visa has completed a pilot program for AI-powered shopping transactions.
- The program is part of a larger industry race to build AI “agents” that can shop for consumers.
- Visa predicts that 2026 will be the year that AI shopping becomes mainstream.
- Visa plans to launch new pilot programs in Asia and Europe next year.
Visa has completed a pilot program for AI-powered transactions, a major step forward in its push to revolutionize how we shop online. The payment giant announced on Thursday that it had processed hundreds of transactions using artificial intelligence agents.
This is part of a broader race in the fintech industry to develop AI tools that act as personal shoppers, completing purchases on a consumer’s behalf. Visa and its rivals, such as Mastercard, are developing systems that will allow you to tell an AI agent what you want and have it handle the entire transaction for you.
“This is going to be the year we see an enormous amount of material adoption,” said Rubail Birwadker, a Visa executive, predicting that consumers will quickly get comfortable using AI for their shopping.
The trend is already taking off. Companies like Amazon and PayPal are also testing out similar “agentic” shopping tools. A recent Visa survey found that nearly half of U.S. shoppers already use some form of AI when making online purchases.
While still in the early stages, Visa sees significant potential for these tools, especially for routine purchases and high-demand items such as concert tickets. The company plans to expand its pilot programs into Asia and Europe next year and is working with more than 20 partners to build out its AI agent capabilities.
