Google has introduced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) – a new open framework that enables AI agents to securely make purchases on behalf of users, backed by more than 60 financial and technology giants.
AP2 works through digital contracts (“mandates”) that confirm user authorization before an agent completes a transaction. For real-time purchases, dual confirmations are applied — the user first approves an Intent Mandate for the search, followed by a Cart Mandate for completing payment.
The framework supports traditional cards, bank transfers, and stablecoins, in collaboration with Coinbase and other crypto companies. Key partners include American Express, Mastercard, PayPal, Salesforce, and Intuit, with technical documentation already published openly on GitHub.
This marks a crucial step at a time when AI agents are becoming autonomous buyers. Secure and verified payment systems reduce risk and bridge the trust gap when AI manages user funds. With strong industry backing, the path toward mass adoption of this technology is clearly opening.
In brief: Tech World Highlights
- The U.S. Patent Office blocked Elon Musk’s Neuralink from trademarking the brand names “Telepathy” and “Telekinesis,” citing earlier filings by another applicant.
- Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba reported quarterly profits above expectations, pushing its stock up nearly 13% in the U.S. and more than 19% in Hong Kong.
- Meta’s flagship Superintelligence Labs team is reportedly facing early staff departures and tensions with data partner Scale AI, signaling a rocky start for the new division.
- Alibaba is also developing a new AI chip and plans to invest $53.1 billion in AI over the next three years, while continuing to source semiconductors from suppliers like Nvidia.
- Tesla is appealing a jury verdict that found it partially liable for a fatal crash involving its Enhanced Autopilot feature, which ordered the company to pay $242.5M in damages.
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