Visa and Mastercard unveil AI-powered shopping

Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not just making inroads into the burgeoning startup sector. Now, leading financial institutions Visa and Mastercard are embracing AI innovations. Visa unveiled “Intelligent Commerce” Wednesday, which it asserts will employ AI “to discover and acquire.”

Main Features of VISA’s Innovative AI Integration

AI-Aided Purchasing

AI agents will be empowered to browse and execute purchases on behalf of users, aligning with their predefined choices.

Flexible Consumer Control

In an official statement, Visa’s Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Jack Forestell, remarked: “Each individual defines the boundaries. At Visa, we assist in overseeing the remainder.”

Collaborative Efforts

Visa is partnering with a blend of tech titans and fledgling companies to formulate AI-driven shopping encounters described as:

  • More tailored
  • Heightened security
  • Enhanced convenience

Collaborators include:

  • Anthropic
  • IBM
  • Microsoft
  • OpenAI
  • Samsung
  • And others.

Mastercard Advances in AI-driven Commerce

Agent-Powered Online Shopping

On Tuesday, Mastercard announced that AI agents would secure the capability to shop online for customers. Mastercard’s “Agent Pay” initiative will “enhance AI-driven interactions for individuals and enterprises alike” by merging payments with tailored suggestions and insights on conversational platforms.

Streamlined Shopping Experiences

Mastercard stated that for someone planning a 30th-birthday bash, an AI agent could:

  • Craft a selection of outfits and accessories from local and online stores
  • Base recommendations on personal style, venue atmosphere, and weather forecasts
  • Facilitate payments through optimal methods, such as Mastercard One Credential

Strategic Partnerships

Mastercard will collaborate with Microsoft to expand AI-driven commerce applications and with IBM. Braintree, and Checkout.com to bolster other AI shopping features.

Broader Industry Adoption of AI in Shopping

Visa and Mastercard aren’t the sole pioneers in AI-powered commerce. Recently, Amazon revealed the pilot testing of an AI shopping assistant, dubbed “Buy for Me,” with select users.

Equally, OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity have introduced like-minded agents that navigate websites and aid users in making purchases.

OpenAI divulged Monday that they are updating ChatGPT search, a web-searching feature within ChatGPT, to refine the online shopping experience.

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